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The UEFA Champions League has been graced by many a fine player during its three decades of existence.
Several players have found success in the Champions League, etching their names firmly in the competition's and their club's history. While many players have won multiple Champions League titles, few have also done so with multiple clubs.
Some of these players are still going strong in the competition, despite being on the wrong side of 30, which only adds to their legacy. On that note, here's a look at the most successful Champions League XI in the history of the competition.
[Note: A 4-3-3 formation has been considered for this hypothetical XI. All stats are as per transfermarkt unless mentioned otherwise.]
So without further ado, let's get started!
Goalkeeper: Keylor Navas (PSG) - 3 titles
Keylor Navas is one of the top goalkeepers to have graced the Champions League.
Starting his campaign in the competition with consecutive clean sheets, Navas played a key role in Real Madrid's three Champions League wins. Impressively, all three triumphs came in as successive years (2016-2018), making it an unprecedented feat in the competition's history.
Now at PSG, Navas endured his first loss in a two-legged Champions League knockout-round in the semi-finals last season. Before that, he had won all 12 such rounds, most of them with Real Madrid.
The 34-year-old has kept at least one clean sheet in each of his last seven campaigns in the Champions League. But Navas is yet to keep one in two games this season.
Left-back: Marcelo (Real Madrid) - 4 titles
Marcelo was one of the top left-backs in the game in his prime but is now a pale shadow of his illustrious self. Regardless, the 33-year-old has played a key role in Real Madrid's four Champions League triumphs in the last decade.
The Brazilian recently made his 100th appearance in the competition (all for Madrid) recently after debuting in 2007. Marcelo has scored only nine goals in the Champions League, but one of them came in Madrid's 2014 win over Atletico Madrid in the final.
Marcelo scored thrice in Real Madrid's victorious 2017-18 Champions League campaign. Apart from his goals, the Madrid left-back has also provided 24 assists in the competition.
# Centre-back: Raphael Varane (Manchester United) - 4 titles
Raphael Varane is one of the most successful centre-backs in the history of the Champions League.
A colossal presence at the back, Varane is known for his passing prowess and aerial ability at both ends. The four-time Champions League winner has played nearly 100 games in the competition, with all but three of them coming for Real Madrid.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner scored the only two goals of his Champions League career in Madrid's victorious 2016-17 campaign.
# Centre-back: Gerard Pique (Barcelona) - 4 titles
Gerard Pique narrowly pips Sergio Ramos, another four-time Champions League-winning centre-back, for a place in this hypothetical XI. That's because the Barcelona ace has won the competition with two different clubs.
Now 34, Pique recently scored his 16th Champions League goal to become the joint-most prolific goalscoring defender in the competition's history. That strike also made Pique the oldest Barcelona player to score in the competition.
Although his best years are arguably behind him, Pique remains a huge presence at both ends of the turf. After winning the Champions League with Manchester United in 2008, Pique has repeated the feat thrice with Barcelona. Two of those triumphs came as part of continental trebles.
# Right-back: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid) - 4 titles
Dani Carvajal is only into his ninth season in the Champions League, but he is already a four-time winner.
The 29-year-old has played a key role in Real Madrid's four Champions League wins in the last decade. Carvajal scored only once in those four campaigns, but provided ten assists, including one in the 2017 final against Juventus.
Due to injuries, Carvaja; hasn't played much in the last two years, making only four appearances. But when he is on song, the 29-year-old is a key player for Real Madrid on both ends of the pitch.
# Left Midfielder: Luka Modric (Real Madrid) - 4 titles
Luka Modric is one of the finest midfielders to have graced the Champions League.
Now 36, the four-time Champions League winner remains a key player for Real Madrid, who he joined almost a decade ago. Modric has scored thrice and assisted five times in Madrid's four triumphs in the competition in the last decade. But the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner's contribution goes beyond goals and assists.
Modric is a key component of Real Madrid's midfield, orchestrating play from the middle of the park. He has registered a goal contribution in each of his 11 campaigns in the Champions League, including the 2021-22 season.
# Defensive Midfielder: Casemiro (Real Madrid) - 4 titles
Casemiro is widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the game at the moment.
Together with Modric and Toni Kroos, the Brazilian forms one of the most potent midfield trios in Real Madrid and Champions League history. Apart from his 12 goal contributions in the competition, the 29-year-old is key to his side winning the ball in the middle of the park.
One of the four-time winner's seven Champions League goals came in the 2017 final against Juventus.
# Right Midfielder: Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea) - 4 titles
Well, it may be a surprise to find Mateo Kovacic on this list, but the Croatian happens to be a four-time Champions League winner.
Incredibly, Kovacic has played only ten cumulative minutes in the four finals he has won. He has won the competition thrice with Real Madrid and once with Chelsea (last season).
The 27-year-old became one of the youngest players to score in the Champions League when he did so in the 2011-12 edition of the competition. However, a decade later, he has scored only thrice more in over 50 games for three different clubs.
# Left Winger: Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) - 4 titles
Gareth Bale announced himself on the Champions League stage when he scored a fabulous hat-trick, albeit in a losing cause, against Inter Milan a decade ago. That caught Real Madrid's attention, and Los Blancos splurged to add the talented Welshman to their ranks three years later.
Bale has scored 11 goals across Madrid's four Champions League campaigns last decade, including two strikes in finals. He was one of the scorers in the 2014 final against Atletico Madrid. Four years later, Bale scored one of the all-time great goals in a Champions League final against Liverpool.
Bale hasn't scored in the Champions League for three years now, but his big-game pedigree makes him a must-have in this hypothetical XI.
# Centre-Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - 5 titles
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the best player to have graced the Champions League.
The 36-year-old holds a plethora of records in the competition. For starters, he is the Champions League's all-time top scorer with 139 goals. Ronaldo is also the only player to win five Champions League titles, score in three finals, and do so for two different winning teams in the final.
Now at Manchester United, the Portugal captain has scored five times this campaign. In the process, Mr. Champions League joined Neymar as the only players to score 20 times in the competition for two different clubs.
# Right Winger: Lionel Messi (PSG) - 4 titles
Lionel Messi, like Ronaldo, is widely regarded as one of the best players in the game's history.
Like his Portugal counterpart, Messi is a Champions League behemoth. He is one of only two players in competition history to score over 100 goals. Now at PSG, Messi has scored thrice in as many Champions League games this season, but has drawn a blank in five Ligue 1 games.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is one of only two players to score against 37 different teams in the Champions League. Messi hasn't won the competition since his last triumph in 2015, though.
