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European 2024-25 Team of the Season: Salah, Raphinha, McTominay & more

By Saikat Sengupta
Saikat has been the Khel Now Correspondent of Jamshedpur FC, alongside Indian football he writes world football & Hockey articles.
Published at :May 25, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Modified at :May 25, 2025 at 7:01 PM
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Luis Enrique is on the verge of winning a treble with PSG.

A lot of drama, suspense and intense actions unfolded in the top five major European leagues of the world. From Arne Slot’s Liverpool FC ending Man City’s dominance in England to 17th-placed English side Tottenham Hotspur becoming the champions of the UEFA Europa League. Even the English footballing circuit saw many new winners as Crystal Palace and Newcastle United FC won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, respectively.

The Spanish top flight saw dominance from FC Barcelona as they won the treble by lifting the LaLiga, Supercopa de Espana as well as the Copa del Rey title. Real Madrid had a rare trophyless season, whereas Real Betis made it to the finals of the UEFA Conference League. The French top division saw PSG retaining the Ligue 1 title and also making it to the finals of the UEFA Champions League.

Italy saw an intense battle between Inter and Napoli to clinch the Italian honour, whereas Simone Inzaghi led his side to the finals of the UEFA Champions League by knocking out FC Barcelona. The German top division saw Bayern Munich return to their winning days with Harry Kane finally ending his trophyless curse, ironically in the same season as his former side, Spurs.

In this feature article, we shall take a deep dive to find out the best 11 from the top 5 European Leagues.

Manager – Luis Enrique (Paris Saint Germain)

Ever since Luis Enrique took over the French capital team, they have been scaling new heights. PSG came so close to winning the UEFA Champions League in 2020 before Kingsley Coman’s goal saw Bayern Munich demolish the French dream to conquer Europe at Lisbon.

But Luis Enrique not only took Paris Saint-Germain to the UCL Finals after half a decade, but he has also won the Ligue 1 title with them. He also has an opportunity to win the French Cup as well. His side lost merely two games in the domestic league and retained their French honours.

Formatio: 4-3-3

GK – Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest)

Matz Sels has been the primary architect between the sticks for Nottingham to keep their European hopes alive. He has the joint-highest clean sheets in the league. The Belgian custodian has made over a century of saves to propel Nuno Espirito Santos’ side into the top seven.

He has been nothing less than a nightmare for opposition strikers and has featured in every single game for the West Bridgford outfit, making them one of the strongest contenders to secure a UCL spot.

RB – Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)

The African Player of the Year has been a cornerstone player for the Les Parisiens this year. His impressive performance for PSG helped the side clinch the Ligue 1 title and make it to the finals of the UEFA Champions League as well as the French Cup.

He made a total of 25 appearances for Luis Enrique’s side domestically and has 12 goal contributions, including eight assists and four goals. He has been a menace at the right flank for Paris with his overlapping runs and pinpoint crosses.

CB – Alessandro Bastoni (Inter)

The Italian centre back had a terrific season with the Milan outfit this season, both domestically as well as in Europe. His rock-solid defending saw Simone Inzaghi’s side inching closer to winning the UEFA Champions League while they still have slim hopes of retaining their Serie A title.

Bastoni donned the Inter jersey 33 times in the Serie A. Apart from offering defensive stability, he has six goal contributions this season, which include five assists and a solitary goal as well.

CB – Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

The Liverpool captain has led his team from the back to end Manchester City’s dominance in the Premier League. His no-nonsense defending, coupled with his ability to win aerial duels, saw Liverpool come closer to lifting the Carabao Cup as well before Newcastle demolished their hopes to complete a domestic double.

The Dutch centre back has made 36 appearances, scored three goals and contributed to 25 wins this season for the Reds. From making 54 interceptions to 184 clearances, he has been a beast for Arne Slot’s side.

LB – Federico Dimarco (Inter)

Dimarco was a beast for Inter Milan this season. His overlapping runs from the left flank, coupled with his ability to accelerate down the flanks, make him one of the best fullbacks of modern-day football. His terrific performance saw Inter knocking on the doors of the Serie A and UCL glory.

The Milano-born winger has a total of 13 goal contributions, including a massive nine assists and four goals as well. His creativity from the left flank entertained the fans at San Siro.

CM – Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)

The Portuguese maestro was a creative engine in the midfield for Luis Enrique. The 25-year-old left no stone unturned to make his mark in the French top division and help his side win all the midfield battles in major games.

He has made a total of 25 appearances for the Paris team and also scored five goals and provided one assist. The Portuguese international has more than four years in his contract with PSG and will be keen to make a long-lasting impact for the French giants.

CM – Scott McTominay (Napoli)

Scott McTominay’s brilliance in midfield saw Antonio Conte’s Napoli bring the Serie A trophy back to Naples. They have been sublime in the Italian top flight, and McTominay played a pivotal role in shaping the midfield and providing the much-needed stability in the middle.

The Manchester United youth academy product found his name in the scoresheet 12 times and also gave six assists. He was involved in 31% of the total goals scored by Napoli this season.

CM – Pedri (FC Barcelona)

Pedri has been FC Barcelona’s most standout midfielder in this footballing calendar. He not only impressed domestically to help the Culers win a domestic treble but also played a crucial role in Barca’s journey to the UCL semi-finals, where a defeat from Inter saw their hopes of reaching the UCL finals crushed.

The 22-year-old Spanish prodigy played almost every single game for the Culers and scored four goals and contributed five assists. Apart from helping the defence, he also helped the side to initiate counterattacks.

RW – Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Seasons change, players move from one club to another, new gaffers take over, but Mohamed Salah’s goal-scoring form has remained constant over the years. Despite a managerial change, Salah kept finding the back of the net for Liverpool and played a pivotal role in propelling the English side to domestic glory.

He has played every single game for Liverpool this season and also scored 28 goals for the Reds while contributing 18 assists as well. Salah is also the leading goalscorer in this season of the Premier League.

CF – Harry Kane (Bayern)

Harry Kane has finally managed to break his trophy curse, ironically in the same season as his former side, Tottenham Hotspur. Whenever Harry Kane competes in a tournament, there can be no other contenders for the Golden Boot Award. He was the leading goalscorer of the Bundesliga and also helped Bayern Munich get back to winning ways.

The former Spurs goal machine has a total of 36 goal contributions this season in the German top flight. He also scored 11 goals in 13 games for FC Bayern Munich this season in the UEFA Champions League.

LW – Rapinha (FC Barcelona)

One of the frontrunners to win the Ballon d’Or award this year, Rapinha had a terrific season for the Culers. Even in the absence of Robert Lewandowski, Rapinha led the Barca attack brilliantly this season and also helped his side win four consecutive El Clasico.

The 28-year-old Brazilian winger scored 18 goals in La

Liga while providing 11 assists. In the Champions League, he was a beast for the Catalans, as he found the back of the net 13 times.

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Saikat Sengupta
Saikat Sengupta

In addition to writing articles on World and Indian Football, Saikat has also covered tournaments like the Durand Cup, Indian Super League, and Hockey India League. Notably, his exceptional communication skills have seen him interview legendary icons like Olympic 2024 gold medalist Yibbi Jansen, former Real Madrid player Javi Hernandez, and many more such sporting stalwarts.

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