90min's UEFA Champions League Team of the Season 2019/20
Bayern Munich prevailed over Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday night's Champions League final to win a sixth European title, bringing to a close the most extraordinary season.
2019/20 saw a five-month pause in the competition as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a unique mini tournament for the last eight, several falling giants and new upstarts.
Here's 90min's Team of the Season...
GK - Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)
Manuel Neuer lifted his first Champions League trophy as captain this season, his second overall, and picked the ball out of his net only sparingly while doing so.
There was a time not too long ago that Neuer might have been considered past his best following some troubling years with injury problems. But the 34-year-old has risen through that and remains a titan of modern goalkeeping.
His save to deny Neymar in the final may well have been as crucial as Kingsley Coman's goal.
RB - Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
Versatile enough to star in both full-back and defensive midfield roles, Joshua Kimmich really stood out in the latter stage of the Champions League this season.
His form in the second half of the campaign, both domestically and in Europe, boomed and yielded plenty of assists from right-back. That included the cross for the winner in the final itself.
CB - Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig)
Dayot Upamecano was particularly colossal as RB Leipzig put out Atletico Madrid, a specialist of European knockout football over the last decade, even at the age of just 21.
The young Frenchman was calm, composed and sensitive to danger on that night and it is safe to say that Leipzig wouldn’t have got as far in the competition without him.
CB - Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain)
35-year-old Thiago Silva couldn’t quite go all the way in his final season with Paris Saint-Germain, falling to get his hands on the trophy the French champions have long desired.
Silva’s defence kept four clean sheets in the opening four group games, kept a rampant Atalanta enough at bay to progress and completely shut RB Leipzig out in the last four.
LB - Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)
Still only 19, Canadian left-back Alphonso Davies enjoyed an incredible breakout season and was lauded for his performance against Chelsea in the last 16 before embarrassing Barcelona.
The youngster began the season playing for Bayern’s B team in the lower leagues and didn’t actually begin starting first-team games until late October in a whirlwind rise.
RM - Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain)
Although he ultimately couldn’t add to the winner’s medal he collected with Real Madrid in 2013/14, Angel Di Maria excelled at key moments to propel PSG to the final.
He began with a big display against Real Madrid on matchday one, got four assists in one game against Club Brugge, and had a direct hand in all three goals in the 3-0 semi-final win over RB Leipzig.
CM - Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich)
Thiago Alcantara brought the curtain down on his Bayern Munich career in the best way possible, giving a sensational performance in the final to win the only trophy missing from his time in Bavaria.
Only time will tell what the immediate future holds for the Spaniard, who has been heavily linked with Liverpool but may be too expensive for the Reds.
CM - Houssem Auoar (Lyon)
Lyon talent Houssem Aouar has established himself as one of the stars of the future this season, thanks in no small part to his role in Lyon reaching the Champions League last four.
With Aouar at the heart of midfield, the French claimed major scalps along the way, knocking out Juventus and Manchester City, prior to falling short against Bayern.
LW - Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich)
The player who was once a spare part during a hellish loan at West Bromwich Albion has now fully transformed into one of the best attacking players in the world.
Gnabry was unplayable at times in Europe this season, scoring four against former rivals Tottenham and made the difference in knockout games against Chelsea, Barcelona and Lyon.
ST - Erling Haaland (Red Bull Salzburg & Borussia Dortmund)
Erling Haaland didn’t make it past the first knockout round in his debut Champions League season, but his 10 goals and accomplishments in the competition in 2019/20 deserve recognition.
The Norwegian prodigy became the first teenager to score in five consecutive Champions League games and netted eight for relative minnows Red Bull Salzburg in the group stage alone.
ST - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Robert Lewandowski scored 15 Champions League goals this season – only two shy of the all-time record for a single season – and scored in nine consecutive games prior to the final.
The Pole also bagged six assists, showing there is more to his game than finding the net himself, and would have been a shoo-in for the 2020 Ballon d’Or had it not been cancelled.
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