Ranking the best 15 players in the 2021/22 Champions League so far

3. Karim Benzema

Karim Mostafa Benzema joined Real Madrid in 2009 for a sum of 35 million euros, together with Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, and Raul Albiol, and he’s the only one left today but is still regarded as one of the most fruitful signings in the club’s history.

Benzema’s exquisite finishing and mind-boggling ball control are tricky to equal by any other striker in the world. There are players for whom the team must be altered, and then there are guys like Benzema, who adapt to the demands of the squad and sports any style he wears.

The French striker has scored eight goals in seven Champions League games, which is unheard of for a player his age. The impact he has on Los Blancos is immeasurable, as is the veteran’s contribution. Behind Fede Valverde and Luka Modric, he was the major figure in Real Madrid’s historic triumph over tournament favourites Paris Saint-Germain.

What he does for Real is incomprehensible, and he is without the need for a hesitation the finest of his type.

2. Sébastien Haller

Ajax Amsterdam is one of those clubs that never fails to surprise in the Champions League with its players, and this season, the one from the Eredivisie arsenal was Sébastien Haller. The Dutch club came seeking for the Ivory Coast international after a pretty ordinary tenure at West Ham.

You have to be a really unique player if a club like Ajax, which is known for supplying talent to the elite clubs, goes out of its way to recruit you, and let me tell you, the 27-year-old has done all the right things to warrant his price tag of 22 million euros.

Haller matured exponentially under Erik Ten Hag’s tutelage and evolved into an exceptionally dangerous forward. A large portion of his success may be attributed to his explosive aerial skill and ability to win aerial duels, which assists in the execution of Ten Hag’s possession-based gameplay. It also aids in exploiting winger crosses and posing a greater threat on the goalkeeper.

Though his team’s Champions League campaign ended in a heartbreaking elimination at the hands of Benfica, Haller’s individual performance was outstanding. 11 goals and an assist in eight games over consecutive matches to bail Ajax out on a consistent basis, there is no way to argue that he is not one of the very finest.