Stats Reveal ‘True’ Best Champions League 11 of 2024/25

The initial league phase of the 2024/25 Champions League campaign has now come to a close, and the competition’s new format has certainly delivered an intriguing spectacle. With each match-day pitting Europe’s biggest heavyweights against fresh opponents, the revamped structure has pushed players to adapt and perform at their very best.

Naturally, this raises the debate over which individuals have ultimately stood out above the rest so far. Fans and pundits alike will have their opinion, but SofaScore have looked to settle the discussion with hard facts, having crunched the numbers using their intricate player rating system. With that said, however, some of the best-performing clubs have interestingly been unrepresented in SofaScore’s final XI, including table-toppers Liverpool, and third-placed Arsenal.

Goalkeeper and Defence

Riznyk, Grimaldo, Martinez, Boscagli, Hakimi

Inter Milan maintained a clean sheet in seven of their eight matches, only conceding once, but the Italian outfit’s goalkeeper, Yann Sommer, didn’t make the cut. Instead, it was Shakhtar Donetsk shot-stopper, Dmytro Ryznyk, who averaged an impressive 4.9 saves per game, though his efforts weren’t enough to enable his team’s progression to the next round.

Meanwhile, no player from Inter Milan, Arsenal or Liverpool earned a place in defence either, despite the three aforementioned teams having conceded fewer goals than every other club in the competition. Barcelona’s Inigo Martinez and PSV’s Olivier Boscagli form the centre-back partnership instead, with Alejandro Grimaldo and Achraf Hakimi on either wing.

Martinez has averaged the best rating of all central defenders so far, thanks to his defensive performances that helped the Blaugrana finish second in the table. In his six outings, he has found the back of the net himself twice and has assisted an additional goal for his teammates. Grimaldo and Hakmi both rank as the best performers on average in their respective positions as well.

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Midfield

Wirtz, Tillman, Kimmich

Bayer Leverkusen star, Florian Wirtz, has earned a place in the team, having led the way thus far for goal contributions among attacking midfielders with seven. Having started in all eight of his team’s outings, he has further been named Player of the Match on four occasions.

Malik Tillman joins the German in the middle of the park, and the PSV ace has averaged a remarkable 8.18 rating in the competition to this point. Finally, Joshua Kimmich completes the midfield three, despite his side being arguably far from their best so far.

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Bayern Munich lost three times in their eight league matches, but the 29-year-old played every single minute and was key to their other five victories. Moreover, he ranks second among all players in the competition for both accurate passes per game (86.1) and big chances created (7).

Attack

Vinicius Junior, Griezmann, Raphinha

Of all the clubs that were tipped to finish in the top eight, Real Madrid were considered among the least likely to miss out, but they wound up in 11th instead. They have nonetheless progressed to the playoffs, and that’s partly thanks to electric wide man, Vinicius Junior, who leads the way at the club for goal contributions in the Champions League – only four individuals in the entire competition have bettered his tally of eight so far.

The best-performing striker, according to SofaScore, is surprisingly, neither of the two leading goalscorers in Robert Lewandowski or Serhou Guirassy. It’s Atletico Madrid’s front-man, Antoine Griezmann, who spearheads the highest-rated Champions League XI. He has had some memorable performances this term, in fairness, including against RB Leipzig and Slovan Bratislava.

On the right flank, it is perhaps the least surprising selection, given his remarkable return so far this campaign. Raphinha has excelled for Barcelona in a way few may have predicted – his tally of 12 goal contributions is bettered by nobody else in the competition, and some of his most astounding moments include the emphatic hat-trick against Bayern Munich and the last-gasp winner against Benfica. Averaging an 8.41 rating so far, the Brazilian is the outright best performer in Europe’s most elite competition at this stage.

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Statistics courtesy of SofaScore – Correct as of 30/01/2025.