Winners Chelsea and runners-up Manchester City dominate the Champions League positional awards shortlist for the 2020/21 season. Five of the players are from Chelsea and three from Manchester City which takes the PL tally to eight. Meanwhile, Real Madrid, Dortmund, Bayern and PSG players have also made the cut.
Nominees for Champions League positional awards: Goalkeepers
#1 Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Courtois’s UCL 2020/21 stats:
Appearances: 12
Minutes: 1,080
Clean sheets: 4
Goals conceded: 14
Courtois made a very good case to make his way into the nominees. He played a very crucial role in the semi-final run for Real Madrid. The Belgian made some match-winning saves and helped Real reach the Semis. However, he had to face defeat to his former club, Chelsea in the semi-final.
#2 Ederson (Manchester City)
Ederson’s UCL 2020/21 stats:
Appearances: 12
Minutes: 1,080
Clean sheets: 7
Goals conceded: 5
The Brazilian had been shortlisted by the UEFA as one of the nominees for the goalkeeper of the season award. Although he and his team failed to lift the trophy, he made a good case for his inclusion in the list.
#3 Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)
Edouard Mendy’s UCL 2020/21 stats:
Appearances: 12
Minutes: 1,080
Clean sheets: 9
Goals conceded: 3
Mendy had his season turned around its head. From not being a part of any top European team earlier, to join Chelsea and win the Champions League in the very first season is worth appreciating. He is also the favourite to win the goalkeeper of the season award.
Also Read: Goals by Goalkeepers: Top 5 Highest scoring goalkeepers
Nominees for Champions League positional awards: Defenders
#1 César Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Azpilicueta’s UCL 2020/21 stats:
Appearances: 11
Minutes: 965
Clean sheets: 7
Goals conceded: 4
The Chelsea captain had an immense contribution behind his team’s UCL triumph. Both defensively and offensively, the Spaniard contributed to the blues and is one of the favourites to win the award.
#2 Rúben Dias (Manchester City)
Ruben Dias’ UCL 2020/21 stats:
Appearances: 11
Minutes: 970
Clean sheets: 6
Goals conceded: 5
Recently, Manchester City defender Ruben Dias has won the Premier League Player of the Season award. Dias only joined City last summer but immediately impacted Pep Guardiola’s team and was pivotal to their domestic title win. However, they were very close to the UCL title, but couldn’t manage it in the end.
#3 Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea)
Rudiger’s UCL 2020/21 stats:
Appearances: 11
Minutes: 922
Clean sheets: 8
Goals conceded: 3
Antonio Rudiger is one of the most under-rated defenders in recent times. He played a pivotal role in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph. He is also one of the favourites besides Azpilicueta to bag the award.
Also Read: Top 5 Defenders with the Most Champions League goals
Nominees for Champions League positional awards: Midfielders
#1 Kevin De Bruyne (Man. City)
De Bruyne’s UCL 2020/21 Stats:
Appearances: 8
Minutes: 669
Goals: 3
Assists: 4
Recently, Kevin De Bruyne won the PFA Player of the Year award for the second time. He was also the main man for City in the UCL. However, they fell short of the UCL title after facing defeat to Chelsea in the finals.
#2 Jorginho (Chelsea)
Jorginho’s UCL 2020/21 stats:
Appearances: 12
Minutes: 1,031
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Jorginho is having his dream season ever. He won the Champions League with Chelsea and went on to win the Euro with Italy. He also has a good shout for his Ballon d’Or and is one of the top 5 candidates to win this year.
#3 N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea)
Kante’s UCL 2020/21 stats:
Appearances: 13
Minutes: 709
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
N’Golo Kante is the name on every people’s lips. Although his stats aren’t that impressive but to understand his impact on the game one will actually need to watch the whole game. He has been impressive and earned back to back MOTM awards in crucial UCL matches.
Also Read: Top 10 highest scoring midfielders in the 21st century: Football facts
Nominees for Champions League positional awards: Forward
#1 Erling Haaland (Dortmund)
Haaland’s UCL 2020/21 stats:
Appearances: 8
Minutes: 706
Goals: 10
Assists: 2
Erling Haaland has been the man for Dortmund both in UCL and the domestic league. The young sensation has impressed everyone with his goalscoring skills and is looking forward to lifting his first-ever forward of the season title.
#2 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern)
Lewandowski’s UCL 2020/21 stats:
Appearances: 6
Minutes: 514
Goals: 5
Assists: 0
Robert Lewandowski’s season was put to a stall by injuries however, he still managed to emerge out as one of the nominees. Although he and his team were knocked out of the competition in the quarter-finals, his goalscoring prowess remains unmatched.
#3 Kylian Mbappé (Paris)
Kylian Mbappe’s UCL 2020-21 stats:
Appearances: 10
Minutes: 900
Goals: 8
Assists: 3
Mbappe had a pretty decent season in the UCL. Although they failed in front of the strong Chelsea side, he made a good case for being shortlisted for this award.
