UEFA Champions League 2022-23: Team of the Season

Manchester City and Inter Milan will lock horns to make history when they face each other on Saturday

After beating Real Madrid, Manchester City head into the final as favorites to win the Champions League this season. On the other hand, Inter Milan, the Italian giants will look to stop City from winning the treble.

One of the clubs that stood out this season was Napoli, after witnessing their club legend Diego Maradona's demise earlier this season, they went on to win the Scudetto for the first time after Maradona won it for Napoli. Throughout the season, there have been a lot of standout performers from different clubs.

In this article, we will look at the playing eleven that made it to the UEFA Champions League 2022-23 Team of the season.

Formation: 4-3-3

Goalkeeper: Andre Onana (Inter Milan)

Cameroonian goalkeeper was hailed by Pep in a recent interview, Onana's qualities were appreciated by him. In this campaign, he set a new record as Inter Milan goalkeeper in the Champions League. The former Ajax goalkeeper has kept 7 clean sheets in a single Champions League, and he has the highest amount of saves as well. He was signed for a free transfer and what a bargain he has been for Inter Milan.

Left-back: Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan)

Dimarco was hardly the first-choice on Inter’s left flank last season, Ivan Perisic was the regular starter in Dimarco’s position, and he frequently appeared for the back three. However, Perisic’s departure opened the door for Dimarco. His crossing, passing, and improved defensive awareness have been the key for the team all through this campaign.

Centre-back: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)

City are just one game away from winning the treble, they have already lifted the Premier League and FA Cup, with Dias a key figure at the heart of the backline. With Pep moving John Stones ahead in the midfield, it has been tough to beat City. Dias has made it difficult for attackers to beat him 1v1, his game reading, ball interception, and physicality have left a positive impact in their squad.

Centre-back: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan)

Another Inter Milan made this list, Bastoni has over 50 appearances for Inter this season. Since his signing in 2017, he has become an integral part of the Inter and Italy's defense, and he was a part of Italy's Euro 2020-winning squad. He has 44 ball recoveries in 11 matches with a passing accuracy over 86 per cent in the competition. Even though he believes Manchester City is not only about Haaland, he needs to be at the top of his game when faces him in the Final.

Right-back: Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli)

The 29-year-old Italian right-back was the first captain after Diego Maradona to lift the Scudetto for Napoli. In the Champions League this season, he averaged 51 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 86%, and had 2 assists. Giovanni Di Lorenzo received 2 yellow cards and 0 red cards. His consistent performances for Napoli helped them reach quarter-final of the Champions League.

Centre-midfield: Joao Mario (Benfica)

The Portuguese midfielder lost to his former side Inter Milan in the quarter final of the Champions League this season. In the UEFA Champions League season 2022-23, João Mário played 4 matches (plus 1 as a sub). They had 1 shot on target from a total of 3 shots and scored 0 goals (0.51 xG). João Mário averaged 16 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 77%, and had 0 assists. João Mário received 3 yellow cards and 0 red cards.

Centre-midfield: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

The star midfielder is aiming to help Manchester City win a historic treble of the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. The Belgian's thunderbolt at the Bernabeu left the tie against Real Madrid delicately balanced at 1-1 before winning it at the Etihad. De Bruyne's 11 goals in knockouts are the most by any Manchester City player in Champions League history. He has 9 goal contributions in 9 Champions League matches that he has played this year's campaign.

Centre-midfield: Rodri (Manchester City)

Rodri is one of Pep's main man, he is the perfect example of box to box midfielder. You see him at the back making ball interceptions, tackling, or even blocking the shots and at the front controlling the midfield. Manchester City's record in the attacking is possible because of the midfield they have, he only has 1 goal this season and that too was a top of the box weak footed strike against Bayern Munich in the quarter-final.

Left-wing: Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)

Vinicius Jr became the first player apart from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo to have 40 G/A ratio since 2009. This stat alone is enough to tell us how big of an impact he has had for Real Madrid. In the 12 matches the he played, he has scored 7 goals and provided 6 assists. Benzema's departure will allow him to continue his legacy for many years to come.

Striker: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

This season no player has looked better than Haaland, he broke the record for most goals in a single Premier League season. In the Champions League, he has continued his goal-scoring form with leading the goal scoring chart with 12 goals 4 more than Salah. If he is able to win the Champions League this season, without a doubt he will be one of the favorites to win the Ballon d'Or.

Right-wing: Mohammed Salah (Liverpool)

Only Salah has made it to the list from Liverpool, they were knocked out again by Real Madrid this season in the Round of 16. He has still managed to make this list because of his performance this season in all competitions and in the Champions League, he scored 8 goals for Liverpool who struggled this season. They have failed to qualify for the Champions League next season and only Salah came out expressing his feeling, he was devasted after Manchester United and Newcastle United made it to the top 4 alongside Manchester City and Arsenal.