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The UEFA Champions League is the blue-riband event of European club football. Over the years, some of the finest players to have graced the sport have had success in this competition.
The 2021-22 edition of the Champions League kicks off on Tuesday, with holders Chelsea opening their campaign at home against Zenit St. Petersburg. Barcelona-Bayern Munich is undoubtedly the marquee fixture of Gameweek 1. But a certain Lionel Messi will be conspicuous by his absence in that game, and so will a certain Cristiano Ronaldo when Juventus travel to Malmo.
That's because the duo, generally regarded as the two best players in Champions League history, changed clubs this summer. While Ronaldo returned to his old stomping ground of Old Trafford, Messi moved to Ligue 1 giants PSG.
It remains to be seen how the two players fare for their latest employers in a competition they have made into a personal battleground in recent years. But Messi and Ronaldo apart, this year's Champions League will feature a plethora of world-class players across positions, as is usually the case.
On that note, here's a look at the best all-time Champions League XI (4-3-3 formation), which comprises a handful of active players too. So without further ado, here's what the hypothetical XI would look like:
Goalkeeper - Iker Casillas
The Champions League has been graced by some of the best goalkeepers in the game's history. But it is Iker Casillas who gets the nod ahead of the likes of Gianluigi Buffon and Manuel Neuer.
Although all three players are bonafide legends of the game, winning big titles galore, it is 'King Iker' who has had more success in the Champions League than the other two. In fact, Casillas holds several records in the competition.
The three-time Champions League winner has made the most appearances (177) and kept the most clean sheets (59) in competition history. Casillas won his third Champions League title with Real Madrid in 2014 before retiring from the game five years later.
Left-back - Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini is widely regarded as one of the best left-backs to have played the game.
The 53-year-old Italian, one of the finest examples of a one-club man, played over 100 Champions League games for AC Milan. Maldini scored his third and final Champions League goal in the 2005 final against Liverpool. Unfortunately, Milan squandered their three-goal half-time lead and went down in the penalty shootout.
The three-time Champions League winner was particularly renowned for his athleticism, tackling prowess and technical ability.
Maldini captained Milan to their most recent Champions League title in 2007, where the Rossoneri beat Liverpool 2-1 in the final.
Centre-back - Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos is one of the finest goalscoring defenders in the history of the Champions League.
The 35-year-old has made 129 appearances in the competition, all for Real Madrid, whom he left this summer to join PSG. Ramos famously scored an injury-time equalizer against Atletico Madrid in the 2014 Champions League final as the Merengues won their much-awaited La Decima.
A no-nonsense defender, Ramos has a chequered disciplinary record; he has seen the most red cards by any player in the competition's history. But the four-time Champions League winner has made an impact at both ends of the field thanks to his aerial prowess and ball-playing ability.
Centre-back - Gerard Pique
Gerard Pique is a quintessential modern-day centre-back, excellent at both ends of the field. The 34-year-old is also a four-time Champions League winner, just like Ramos.
Pique has been an excellent performer for club and country over the years, and the Barcelona centre-back is one of the most experienced players at his club.
Gerard Pique is one of a handful of players to have won Champions League titles with two different clubs in consecutive seasons.
Right-back - Dani Alves
Dani Alves has revolutionized the role of a full-back in the modern game, thanks to his tireless and darting runs down the flanks.
Alves has made over 100 appearances in the competition for three different clubs. But the 38-year-old Brazilian enjoyed the best years of his career with Barcelona, with whom he won three Champions League titles.
Alves, who won gold with Brazil at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, last played in the Champions League in 2018-19 for PSG.
Central midfielder - Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos is one of the finest midfielders to have graced the Champions League, especially in the last decade. The four-time Champions League winner has made over 100 appearances in the competition.
Kroos has tallied goal contributions in all but two of his 12 seasons in the Champions League. The 31-year-old generally operates in a deep-lying playmaking role, which explains why he scores so sparingly in the competition.
Nevertheless, the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner is one of the first names on the team sheet. That's because of his set-piece prowess and ability to orchestrate play from the middle of the park.
Central midfielder - Xavi
Xavi Hernandez is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders to have played the game.
The four-time Champions League winner was a star performer for club and country. Xavi is one of a handful of players to have made over 150 appearances in the competition.
The diminutive midfielder could pierce the tightest of gaps in opposition defenses like very few could. It was from Xavi's cross that Lionel Messi scored a rare headed goal in the 2009 Champions League final against Manchester United.
The assist king registered a career-best seven assists in Barcelona's triumphant Champions League campaign that season.
Central midfielder - Andres Iniesta
Andres Iniesta, like his compatriot and Barcelona teammate Xavi, was a midfielder par excellence.
The 37-year-old made 130 appearances in the Champions League, all for Barcelona, winning four titles, including two continental trebles. Though he did not score a lot of goals in the Champions League, Iniesta scored a few landmark strikes in the competition.
It was his last-ditch equalizer at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea that sent Barcelona to the 2009 Champions League final on away goals. That was Iniesta's only goal in the competition that season as the Blaugrana won the continental treble.
Arguably the best player never to have won the Ballon d'Or award, Iniesta scored the winner against the Netherlands that sealed Spain's maiden FIFA World Cup triumph in 2010.
Left winger - Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest goalscorer to have played in the Champions League.
The 36-year-old holds a slew of records in the competition. He is the only five-time Champions League winner and is the competition's all-time record goalscorer with 134 goals for three different clubs. Ronaldo's 176 appearances are the most by an outfield player in the Champions League.
Now back at Manchester United, Ronaldo will look to hit the ground running in his favorite competition after three modest campaigns with Juventus.
Centre forward - Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema is one of the underrated strikers in Champions League history. That is because he largely operated under the shadow of his illustrious former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo for over a decade at Real Madrid.
However, the 33-year-old Frenchman has been a steady if not spectacular performer in the Champions League over the years. One of only two players to score in 16 consecutive seasons in the competition, Benzema recently notched up his 70th goal in the Champions League.
The four-time Champions League winner has scored most of his goals in the competition for Real Madrid, whom he joined in the summer of 2009.
Right winger - Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi, along with Ronaldo, is one of the greatest players to have played in the Champions League.
The 34-year-old Argentine is one of only two players to have scored over 100 goals (120 ) and eight hat-tricks in the competition. Messi, a four-time Champions League winner (with Barcelona), has scored goals galore, both from inside and outside the box.
Now with PSG, whom he joined this summer, Messi will look to become only the second player to win five Champions League titles.
