Man City dominates Champions League best XI

Champions Man City have seven players, while runners-up Inter have two players named in the 2022-2023 Champions League team of the season voted by UEFA.

Man City players honored are Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland.

Haaland won the Golden Boot with 12 goals, including a record five goals in the 7-0 win over Leipzig in the second leg of the Round of 16 and scored in both quarter-final matches against Bayern. The Norwegian striker also won the Premier League Golden Boot with a record 36 goals. Thanks to that, he became the fourth player to win the Champions League and Premier League Golden Boot in the same season, after Dwight Yorke in the 1998-1999 season, Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2002-2003 and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007-2008.

With seven assists in 721 minutes, De Bruyne leads the assists list, followed by Real Madrid's Vinicius with six in 975 minutes. The Belgian midfielder also scored twice, in the second leg of the round of 16 win over Leipzig and the first leg of the quarter-final draw at Real.

Champions League Team of the Season 2022-2023. Photo: UEFA

Shining in his new role in midfield, Stones was immediately named in the Champions League team of the season. The Englishman was partnered by Rodri, who was also named player of the tournament. The Spanish midfielder scored two crucial goals, the opener in the 3-0 first leg quarter-final win over Bayern at the Etihad, and the only goal as City beat Inter in the final.

Silva was another standout player in City's attack, scoring three goals in 13 games. The Portuguese midfielder headed home against Bayern in the first leg of the quarter-finals, and scored twice in the 4-0 home win over Real Madrid. Walker and Dias were key players in defence, helping City win the Champions League for the first time.

The two Inter players named are Alessandro Bastoni and Federico Dimarco. Bastoni has started 12 of Inter's 13 Champions League games this season, contributing three assists in the matches against Barca, Viktoria Plzen in the group stage and Benfica in the first leg of the quarter-finals.

Bastoni (left) competes for the ball in the air with Haaland during the Champions League final at Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey on June 10. Photo: AFP

Dimarco has also been a mainstay in Simone Inzaghi's system with 11 appearances. He has contributed five assists, the best of any defender in the tournament and only bettered by De Bruyne. The Italian defender almost scored in the final, when he headed against the crossbar and then headed the rebound past teammate Romelu Lukaku.

The remaining two spots belong to Real duo Thibaut Courtois and Vinicius. Courtois' selection caused controversy when he conceded five goals in the semi-final against Man City. Andre Onana was overlooked by UEFA despite keeping a record eight clean sheets, three more than his Belgian counterpart. Onana's performances helped Inter reach the Champions League final for the first time since the 2009-10 treble-winning season under Jose Mourinho.

UEFA also announced the best young player of the season award to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The 22-year-old Georgian star scored twice in nine games, helping Napoli reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time, where they lost 1-2 on aggregate to AC Milan.

Hong Duy

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