Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Manchester City will all be hoping their star men put in performances worthy of the occasion as they aim to get closer to Wembley. But, how many of those key players are actually considered to be 'world-class'?
Ahead of the last eight, GIVEMESPORT have taken an in depth look into the squads of every remaining team and have come up with a list of 23 players who have a fair claim to hold that moniker. While some stars are likely to have a huge say on the outcome of the ties, others will miss their respective games through injury. Nevertheless, they have done enough throughout their careers to still be considered elite in their position.
Ranking factors
We have based our decision on a number of different factors, including:
Importance to their team
Where they rank in their position
Goals & Assists
Clean sheets
Performances during their careers
Other key statistics
The 23 World Class players in the Champions League
Player
Team
Kyle Walker
Manchester City
Bernardo Silva
Manchester City
Ruben Dias
Manchester City
Kevin De Bruyne
Manchester City
Phil Foden
Manchester City
Rodri
Manchester City
Erling Haaland
Manchester City
Jude Bellingham
Real Madrid
Antonio Rudiger
Real Madrid
Thibaut Courtois
Real Madrid
Toni Kroos
Real Madrid
Vinicius Jr
Real Madrid
Declan Rice
Arsenal
Bukayo Saka
Arsenal
Martin Odegaard
Arsenal
William Saliba
Arsenal
Harry Kane
Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer
Bayern Munich
Jamal Musiala
Bayern Munich
Alphonso Davies
Bayern Munich
Antoine Griezmann
Atletico Madrid
Robert Lewandowski
Barcelona
Kylian Mbappe
Paris Saint-Germain
epl_world-class_pl_players_720
17 world-class footballers in the Premier League right now
Manchester City - Seven
Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden
Manchester City players
The reigning champions make up a stunning seven out of our 23-man list, but that really isn't a surprise. Manchester City have become the most well oil machine in football under Pep Guardiola. Yet they are also fortunate to boast the biggest crop of talent in Europe.
Ruben Dias is as assured a centre-back as you will find, while Kyle Walker's pace and power has enabled him to continue being a solid defender and a menace down the right side of attack. In midfield, Rodri often acts as the unsung hero to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, but the Spaniard has continued to be flawless. His crowning achievement came as he scored the only goal in the game during last season's Champions League final.
Everyone is aware of just how dominant Erling Haaland is in front of goal, and he remains one of the best strikers in the world, but he has arguably been overshadowed by City's new man of the moment, Phil Foden. The academy graduate is having his most productive season to date with 21 goals and 10 assists in all competitions so far. He has truly established himself as being level par with some of his other incredible teammates.
Champions League Stats in 2023/24 (Manchester City's World-Class Players)
Name
Matches
Goals
Assists
Clean sheets
Ruben Dias
7
0
0
1
Kyle Walker
5
0
0
1
Rodri
6
1
2
0
Kevin De Bruyne
1
1
1
N/A
Bernardo Silva
6
1
0
N/A
Phil Foden
6
4
3
N/A
Erling Haaland
7
6
1
N/A
Real Madrid - Five
Jude Bellingham, Vinicus Jr, Thibaut Courtois, Toni Kroos, Antonio Rudiger
Jude Bellingham celebrates scoring for Real Madrid
Real Madrid are no stranger to having world-class talent on their books, but very few have made the immediate impact that Jude Bellingham has had. The young English midfielder has been tapping into the spirit of Zinedine Zidane since moving to the Bernabeu and will likely be the biggest threat the Three Lions have come to this summer's Euros.
Alongside him in midfield is Toni Kroos, who recently extended his contract at the age of 34. Vinicius Jr provides an electric option going forward, and already has one Champions League winning goal to his name.
At the back, Antonio Rudiger has proved himself to be one of the best defenders in world football. We have also chosen to keep Thibaut Courtois, despite his battles with injury. The Belgian hasn't played a minute of football this season, but his presence between the sticks has been sorely missed and serves as a reminder of his quality.
Champions League Stats in 2023/24 (Real Madrid's World-Class Players)
Name
Matches
Goals
Assists
Clean sheets
Jude Bellingham
6
4
4
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