Masterclass performances: The players who carried their teams in the 2024 /25 UCL so far
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When Vinicius's sprints pierced the night at the Bernabéu, when the cheers at Camp Nou erupted with another Lewandowski strike, when the Anfield ground shook with Salah's trajectory, it became apparent that the group stage of the 24/25 Champions League was unfolding into a great epic.
Still on the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League group stage
This tournament is a furnace where humans become legends, not merely a tactical chessboard or a battlefield of wins and defeats. Every goal has a blazing fire of youth; every save has the relentless drive of veterans; between every pass, there is resonance of wisdom and brilliance.
From Bellingham's royal aura to Saka's young storm, this season's group stage has long exceeded the simple count of victories and losses to become evidence of a generation's football faith.
We will negotiate the veil of statistics and narratives in this piece to reach the domain of those who characterised the Champions League group stage for this season. They could be the final poet of the goal line, the maestro of the midfield, the fatal blade of the front line, or the unsung defensive rock.
This is a challenge to the future and a monument to the dreamers of the green pitch, as the Champions League stage never closes; it just waits for the next beam of light to highlight a fresh legend.
Robert Lewandowski
Every Lewandowski celebration on the Camp Nou pitch seems like a reenactment of his "Supremo" days at Bayern Munich. With 9 goals, he tops the scoring chart after the UEFA Champions League group stage, averaging 1.13 goals per game, which even exceeded his peak Champions League Golden Boot performance in 2020 (15 matches, 15 goals).
With an almost exact match between expected goals (xG) and actual goals scored, his shooting has been as precise as a surgeon's. Thanks to a maximum possibility of seven games left for Barcelona on the road to the final, Lewandowski is poised to challenge Cristiano Ronaldo's single-season Champions League record of 17 goals this season if he maintains this form.
Serhou Guirassy
From Stuttgart to Dortmund, Guirassy’s ascent has been like lightning. With 9 goals, he is tied with Lewandowski on the scoring chart and posts equally remarkable efficiency with 9 goals from just 18 shots, with a conversion percentage of 37.5%, strikingly identical to Haaland's peak performance (35.21% in the 2022–23 season).
The French-born Guniean really has been a "one-man massacre," directly contributing to a goal in every eight games of the group stage. Guirassy's stunning performance is reminiscent of Lewandowski in the 2012/13 season—from obscurity to a four-goal Champions League semifinal showing.
His strength and calmness are similar to Drogba's and his instinct to Inzaghi. Should he remain in good health, he could surpass Lewandowski's record of most goals in one Champions League season by a Bundesliga player.
More importantly, his performance shows Dortmund that losing Haaland is not the end of the world, as a new "Yellow and Black Assassin" is already in place.
Raphinha
Twelve direct goal involvements, twenty-five key passes, 4.9 expected assists (xAG)—with his statistics, Raphinha has transformed the worth of a winger.
His crosses, precise and beautiful, are much like Renaissance art. He scored a lightning-quick opener in the first minute of the Bayern game on his way to a famous hat trick and then assisted Lewandowski, totally dismantling the opponent's defence.
Though Raphinha's team spirit is much more remarkable, his style is not distant from Robben at his best: cutting in, crossing, long shots; he can do it all. With 8 goals and 4 assists, his "assists + goals" figure is on course to supplant Messi's from the Champions League-winning 2014–2015 campaign.
Even more fascinating is the development of his relationship with Yamal (17), the "new MSN"—Barcelona's attacking revolution may be spearheaded by this pair.
Vinicius Junior
From a "flashy kid" to a "key player," Vinicius's development path is evocative of C. Ronaldo in 2008. However, Vinicius's team spirit is more evident; his 8 big chances created and 19 passes into the penalty area this season even exceed Neymar's at the same age (206/17).
Vinicius's 7 goals (6 non-penalty) and 4.5 expected goals (xG) are backed by innumerable death-defying arcs drawn with the tip of his toe, like a canvas ripped apart by a hurricane when he takes off along the touchline at the Bernabeu.
Showcasing his "big heart" to the utmost, he first scored with a low left-footed shot in the 2-3 comeback clash against Atalanta before assisting Bellingham's eventual winner. Ranked among the best in the Champions League, his 18 successful dribbles combine the classic Brazilian flair with the finishing precision of a modern winger, reflecting the mix of a young Ronaldo and Robinho.
Even more fascinating is the way his "new BBC" alliance with Mbappé is already shaping the left side of Real Madrid, and thanks to this communion, the splendour of the "Galácticos" could once more be evident.
Antoine Griezmann
From a cast-off at a big club to a club legend, Griezmann's career path is comparable to Raúl's—6 goals, 2 assists, and 4 big chances created to continue building his legacy. His numbers are like a bottle of vintage red wine, getting more refined and rich with time.
Showcasing the core of the "big-game player," he threaded a pinpoint cross-field pass onto the feet of substitute Angel Correa, who delivered the stoppage-time dagger that secured the triumph in the 1-2 comeback win against Paris Saint-Germain.
Though his goal-scoring sense is closer to David Villa, his movement intelligence and passing vision are mnemonic of Zidane thanks to an average of 1.1 key passes per game.
Maintaining his form, Griezmann would have his eye set on the 50-goal milestone in the Champions League scoring charts. Though his inspiration to keep on could be the appeal of the 2026 World Cup, the ultimate objective right now is the Champions League trophy.
Should Atlético Madrid repeat the 2014 miracle, Griezmann's "final dance" might transcend Torres's sad failure and mark the most poignant chapter in a lifetime of football.
Charles De Ketelaere
De Ketelaer has reinvented himself from disappointment at AC Milan to five assists and four goals in the 24/25 Champions League with Atalanta. His comeback path brings to mind Wesley Sneijder—abandoned by a great club, thrived at a lesser team. De Ketelaere's age, 23, however, allows him more opportunity for development.
His passes were like lights in the dark night during the dominant 6-1 trouncing of Young Boys, where he supplied three assists and scored twice, practically single-handedly pushing the Gli Orobici to the verge of qualification.
With a style that blends De Bruyne's inventiveness and Pogba's grace, his direct goal contribution count (9) and expected assists (3.6) both rank among the top players in the Champions League.
More crucially, his success signals to European powerhouses: a once-forgotten diamond is suddenly gleaming brilliantly in the ground of Bergamo.
Florian Wirtz
Wirtz at 20 years old is defining what it means to be a "complete midfielder" using statistics; he has six goals, an assist, 25 key passes, and 2.4 expected assists. Combining modern explosiveness with classical grace, the German's ball progression is like a Mozart piano concerto.
As reflected in his 77 touches, he controlled the game's pace in the pivotal 1-0 contest against AC Milan, scoring the winner in the 84th minute. German media have likened him to the "new Özil," yet his defensive efforts—an average of 3.9 recoveries per game—bear more resemblance to those of peak Ballack.
Joshua Kimmich
880 touches, 84 progressive passes, and 29 passes into the box: the Iron Brain Kimmich's numbers are like that of a precision machine. He made 21 tackles and 5 interceptions on the defensive end and has a pass success percentage as high as 93%.
Kimmich's adaptability is akin to Beckenbauer, the ideal fusion of a "libero" and a contemporary defensive midfielder. But his passing statistics—an average of 85 passes per game—even top Schweinsteiger's 2013 figure.
Maintaining his form, he might become the first defensive midfielder in Champions League history to make over 1000 passes in one season.
More importantly, he is showing by his methodology that there is a more harmonic football language between Nagelsmann’s "pragmatism" and Kompany's "possession philosophy."
Yann Sommer
Sommer has characterised what it means to be a "keeper" with not just the famed eye test but also numbers to back. The precision of a Swiss watch, he boasts 7 clean sheets, a 95.5% save success rate, and a +3.3 PSxG-GAthe difference between expected goals conceded and actual goals conceded.
Yann Sommer really embodied the Chinese phrase "one man holding the pass," saving Gabriel's close-range header in the Arsenal game and then clawing Havert's looping shot.
Though Sommer's reaction speed is closer to peak Neuer, his longevity is similar to Kahn. His save success rate this campaign even exceeds Oblak's in 2014–2015 (82.6%).
Should he keep up his outstanding performance, he might be the first goalkeeper in Champions League history to record 10 clean sheets in one season. More importantly, he is demonstrating with his performance that Inter Milan's loss of Onana marks an improvement rather than a setback.
Emiliano Martinez
Martínez, a "master of psychological warfare," has branded the Champions League with four clean sheets, an 87.2% save success record, and a +4.1 PSxG-GA.
His save figures this group stage significantly surpass those of his entire World Cup 2022 performance. The Argentine’s attitude has shown the world that a goalkeeper is the team's spiritual emblem as well as the last line of defence.