Champions League power rankings: Barcelona and Juventus out, PSG and Napoli hit top form

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MVPs drop out of Europe 

With one match day left of the Champions League group stages, the competition is already making short work of under-performing teams and as a result a number of Europe’s biggest stars have been eliminated from the tournament in dramatic fashion. And the most significant drop outs seem to come from the Spanish top-flight. 

Club Comparison

£732.33m

Market Value

£790.83m


First Tier

League Level

First Tier


£137.70m

Expenditures 22/23

£123.75m


Xavi

Managers

Julian Nagelsmann

Full Club Comparison

Following a 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich, Xavi’s star-studded Barcelona side will now be confined to another season in the Europa League. Which means that Europe’s top tournament will be without its fourth most valuable player in Pedri, who has a current market value of €90 million. However, the young Spaniard wasn’t the only MVP that has unexpectedly dropped out of the competition. 

The most valuable players left in the 2022/23 Champions League

15 Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich | €80m

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14 Rodri | Manchester City | €80m

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13 Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool | €80m

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12 Federico Valverde | Real Madrid | €80m

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11 Christopher Nkunku | RB Leipzig | €80m

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10 Aurélien Tchouameni | Real Madrid | €80m

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9 Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich | €80m

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8 Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | €85m

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7 Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | €90m

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6 Harry Kane | Tottenham | €90m

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5 Phil Foden | Manchester City | €90m

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4 Jude Bellingham | Borussia Dortmund | €90m

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3 Vinicius Junior | Real Madrid | €120m

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2 Erling Haaland | Manchester City | €150m

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1 Kylian Mbappé | PSG | €160m

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Juventus were equally as disappointing in Group H, where they have managed to pick up just three points from five games and now risk finishing last in the group, following an embarrassing 2-0 defeat to Maccabi Haifa. Not only does this confirm that Massimiliano Allegri’s side are well and truly out of the competition, but it also means that star striker Dušan Vlahović – the ninth most valuable player in the competition – will also no longer be plying his trade in the Champions League this season. 

Barcelona's European decline

The best forward’s in this season’s Champions League

Fortunately for football fans, there are still plenty of stars in the competition and a number of them have enjoyed very impressive starts to their European campaigns. And in particular, a number of clubs have racked up huge goalscoring records in a short period of time. None more so than Paris Saint-Germain, who can lay claim to two of the three top forwards in the competition so far this season. 

The best forwards in the 2022/23 Champions League

Rafael Leão | AC Milan | 5

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One goal and four assists

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Two goals and three assists

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Napoli | 5

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Two goals and three assists

Leon Goretzka | Bayern Munich | 5

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Two goals and three assists

Mykhaylo Mudryk | Shahktar Donetsk | 5

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Three goals and two assists

Piotr Zielinski | Napoli | 5

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Three goals and two assists

Jude Bellingham | Borussia Dortmund | 5

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Four goals and one assist

Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 5

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Five goals and zero assists

Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona | 5

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Five goals and zero assists

Leroy Sane | Bayern Munich | 6

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Four goals and two assists

Giacomo Raspadori | Napoli | 6

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Four goals and two assists

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Four goals and two assists

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Four goals and three assists

Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 7

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Six goals and one assists

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Six goals and two assists

Indeed, Kylian Mbappé is living up to his title of being the competition’s most valuable player by bagging no less than six goals and two assists in just five games for the Ligue 1 giants, while Lionel Messi is just behind him with four goals and three assists. Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah currently sits level with his Argentine counterpart, with six goals and one assist. 

Player Comparison

£27.00m

Market Value

£36.00m



Second Striker

Position

Attacking Midfield


Jun 30, 2023

Contract until

Jun 30, 2024

Full Player Comparison

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season has come in the form of Napoli, who have stormed to the top of Group A with five wins from five and 20 goals scored along the way. As such, the Serie A side can lay claim to two of the top 10 forwards in the competition, as Giacomo Raspadori sits on four goals and two assists and Piotr Zielinski has three goals and two assists in five games. 


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