Sports Illustrated Champions League Team of the Season 2024–25 | OneFootball

The 2024–25 Champions League concluded with one of the all-time great performances on the competition’s grandest stage.

The final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter was billed as a 50-50 by the majority ahead of kickoff, but the projected caginess was dismissed by Parisian majesty. Luis Enrique’s side roared to victory in Munich, claiming a record-breaking 5–0 victory over their ageing opponents who simply couldn’t keep up.

While their brilliance as a collective has rightfully been lauded, the idea that this PSG team is bereft of stars is wide of the mark. The bulk of Enrique’s youthful XI has come of age throughout the competition, which started so poorly, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s the dominant victors that litter our standout XI of this year’s competition.

Here’s Sports Illustrated's Champions League team of the season for 2024–25.

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – PSG

The Italian international was outstanding in the knockout stages. / IMAGO/AFLOSPORT

The very worst of Donnarumma manifested at points throughout PSG’s Champions League campaign, but there’s no denying that the eventual winners would’ve struggled to reach the final in his absence.

After failing to keep out Harvey Elliott’s smash-and-grab effort in the first leg of their round of 16 tie against Liverpool, Donnarumma was close to perfect.

He stood tall at Anfield in the penalty shootout, saving from Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones to help PSG advance. The Italian then made a pair of superb saves at Villa Park to ensure his side just about held off Aston Villa’s second leg resurgence in the quarterfinals. However, perhaps his best work came against Arsenal after PSG stunned the Emirates with their swashbuckling start in the first leg.

Donnarumma denied Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard one-on-one, ensuring PSG took a 1–0 lead heading into the return leg. In Paris, the towering shot-stopper was on hand to prevent the Gunners from staging a memorable comeback. His denial of Martin Ødegaard’s powerful drive was one of the saves of the season.

RB: Achraf Hakimi – PSG

Hakimi concluded a productive campaign by scoring in the final. / IMAGO/Goal Sports Images

Hakimi was afforded plenty of freedom to roam during Enrique’s first season at the helm, with the Moroccan often drifting inside and crashing the box. His returns in the final third were similar from this season to last domestically, but the full-back reached new heights in this competition.

After recording a pair of Champions League goal contributions last season, Hakimi notched nine this time around. His mightily productive season concluded with the opening goal in the final, as he ghosted in behind Inter’s unsuspecting defence and took advantage of Federico Dimarco’s errant positioning.

The finish was simple, but Hakimi has made a habit of making the tricky look ever so easy throughout the campaign.

CB: William Saliba – Arsenal

Saliba was a mainstay for the semifinalists. / IMAGO/Sportsphoto

2024–25 was ultimately another nearly season for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, but there was improvement in Europe. After succumbing in the quarterfinals to Bayern Munich in 2024, the Gunners were beaten by the eventual winners in the last four this time around.

Crucial to their continental success in the competition was their stern backline which was expertly marshalled by William Saliba and Gabriel. The latter missed much of the knockout stages due to a hamstring injury, but Saliba was a mainstay for Arteta.

There was one lapse against Real Madrid, but Saliba was otherwise often imperious, especially in that quarterfinal tie. His supreme recovery speed and sense of timing allow Arsenal to suffocate teams high up the pitch, and the Frenchman has shown on big European nights that he’s a force to be reckoned with when defending his box.

CB: Alessandro Bastoni – Inter

Bastoni was the standout Inter defender throughout their Champions League campaign. / IMAGO/Maciej Rogowski

Inter’s defending was justly slandered in the final despite the brilliance of their irresistible opponents, but the Nerazzurri’s stoutness on their way to Munich can’t be overlooked.

Okay, there was more chaos in the semifinal against Barcelona, but still, Inter’s success was built off their sturdy defensive foundations. They conceded just once in the league phase, and Yann Sommer topped the charts with seven clean sheets.

Crucial to their defensive success was Alessandro Bastoni, who broke out in Milan under Antonio Conte and has gradually evolved into one of the continent’s premier defenders. The Italian is no athletic phenomenon, but he embodies the grit of his country’s greatest-ever. With the ball, there are fewer boasting superior grace and elegance.

LB: Nuno Mendes – PSG

Mendes locked down some of the continent’s premier wingers. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

While Hakimi flew down the opposite flank, Mendes performed a crucial balancing act down PSG’s left. The Portuguese is more than capable of affecting proceedings in attacking transition, as he proved at Villa Park, but Mendes makes our Team of the Season for his outstanding defensive work.

There was an early struggle against Bukayo Saka on Matchday 2 of the league phase, but the full-back atoned for previous mishaps by dominating his matchups throughout the knockouts. Mohamed Salah was tamed in the last 16 and Mendes claimed a points victory over Saka in the semifinals.

A supreme athlete who contributes heavily in all phases, it’s scary to think Mendes is just 22-years-old.

CM: Vitinha – PSG

Vitinha dazzled at the base of PSG’s midfield. / IMAGO/IPA Photo

All three members of PSG’s starting midfield are worthy of an inclusion, but we’ve opted for just one in our engine room.

There were some who didn’t believe you could win this competition with such a slight operator functioning at the base of midfield. Concerns over PSG’s physicality were justified at the start of the league phase, but the French side would eventually prove that height and brawn isn’t a prerequisite to physically overwhelm opponents.

João Neves’s tenacity and Fabián Ruiz’s wily ball-winning capacities aided PSG’s ability to swarm and suffocate teams. Vitinha, meanwhile, ensured any defensive frailties were masked. His team’s unwillingness to cede possession, especially in the final, helped him out, but Vitinha himself was ever so pivotal in ensuring PSG evolved into masterful retainers of the ball.

No player completed more passes than the Portuguese in this season’s Champions League, and like so many of his teammates, Vitinha saved his best performance for Munich.

CM: Declan Rice – Arsenal

Rice dominated Arsenal’s quarterfinal victory over Real Madrid. / IMAGO/News Images

In truth, Rice pencilled himself into this team after inspiring Arsenal to a memorable triumph over Real Madrid.

The English midfielder’s sluggish start to the season meant the league phase somewhat passed him by, but Rice turned it on in crunch time. He helped his side dominate PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands before ensuring he’ll appear on every Champions League goal compilation by beating Thibaut Courtois with a pair of superb free-kicks.

The first was divinely curled, but the second was better. A vicious postage-stamp strike worthy of all its acclaim.

His night of highlights at the Emirates was followed up by an all-encompassing display at the Bernabéu the following week.

CM: Pedri – Barcelona

Pedri enjoyed a superb campaign. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

A string of injuries had prevented Pedri from building on the magic he manifested at Euro 2020 heading into the 2024–25 season. It had been years since we‘d enjoyed the Spaniard at his best, but an injury-free campaign facilitated a resurgence under Hansi Flick.

Rest and respite were not in the German’s dictionary when it came to the brittle Pedri, who was deemed far too significant to ever perform without. The midfielder ensured Flick’s dynamic, vertical and ouright chaotic outfit ticked.

Amid the mayhem facilitated by high lines and supreme wing play, Pedri operated serenely in the middle of it all. He stands out for his ability to retain possession when all seems lost, but the midfielder’s creative juices also flowed. Pedri recorded the sixth-most shot-creating actions in the competition (66) and the joint-most goal-creating actions – stats via FBRef.

RW: Lamine Yamal – Barcelona

Yamal will have plenty of opportunities to win this competition. / IMAGO/IPA Sport

Barcelona were cruelly denied a spot in the final, but Lamine Yamal will have plenty more opportunities to star on the grandest stage.

The Spanish superstar, perhaps the most impressive teenager the sport’s ever seen, didn’t dominate statistically, but any enjoyer of Barça’s Champions League campaign was doubtlessly aware of the team’s star every time he took to the field.

There’s no defender that can stymie his otherworldly, slaloming genius one-on-one, and Inter struggled to contain him with three players paying close attention. He proved his humanity in the second leg of their semifinal with the Nerazurri, but we were ever so close to lauding Yamal’s performance at San Siro as one of the finest of recent memory.

Only the woodwork and an outstanding Yann Sommer display prevented the 17-year-old from starring in Munich.

ST: Ousmané Dembélé – PSG

Dembélé’s role change was key to PSG’s Champions Legaue resurgence. / IMAGO/Eibner

There were many factors which coalesced and ultimately led to PSG’s maiden Champions League triumph, but one of the most important was Enrique’s decision to utilise Ousmané Dembélé as a false nine.

The Frenchman, long derided as a frustrating character with superstar potential, enjoyed the most prolific season of his career by some distance, and the role switch proved to be the making of him and his team.

Dembélé’s withdrawals into deeper-lying positions almost always sparked consternation within defences, and it was his movement between the lines which led to PSG’s crucial goals at the Emirates and Anfield. The Frenchman, fittingly, finished both moves off as well.

There were no more goals against Inter, but Dembélé certainly left his mark in a final which saw teenager Desiré Doué take centre stage. The former Barcelona man set up Doué’s first goal before playing a big role in his second, as he set Vitinha on his way with a clever backheel on the halfway line.

Come the final whistle in Munich, Dembélé had recorded the most progressive carries (89), shot-creating actions (80) and chances created (38) in the competition, as well as recording 14 goal contributions.

LW: Raphinha – Barcelona

Raphinha ended the season with the most goal contributions in the competition. / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

While Dembélé’s decisive resurgence arrived 18 months into a new manager’s tenure, Raphinha’s stark improvement was almost immediate after Hansi Flick took the reins.

There was some doubt over the Brazilian’s future last summer, but Flick assured Raphinha that he wanted him to be a key part of his project. The previously maligned former Leeds United star certainly repaid Flick’s faith.

This was an imperfect Champions League campaign for Barça despite their success, as they occasionally found themselves in grave situations which required plenty of digging out. More often than not, Raphinha was the man who supplied salvation.

Benefitting from his role change which emphasised running in behind as opposed to operating as a touchline winger, Raphinha contributed relentlessly in the final third. He was the competition’s joint-top scorer with 13 goals and he also recorded the most assists (eight).

Many would’ve thought his strike at the last against Inter had sent Barça into the final, but it wasn’t to be.