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Following their heroic comeback win over Manchester City on Wednesday (May 4), Real Madrid have booked a place in the Champions League final. The Whites will take on Jurgen Klopp’s spirited Liverpool, who thrashed Villarreal in the semi-finals, in the grand event in Paris on 28 May.
Today, however, it is not about discussing or dissecting the upcoming mouth-watering finale between the two European giants. Today, we will instead talk about players who performed admirably in the tournament, but could not progress to the epic gala.
Here are five top performers who will not take part in the Champions League final later this month:
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo - Manchester United
Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo could not inspire his team beyond the Round of 16. However, had it not been for his goals, the Red Devils probably would have gotten knocked out of the group stage itself.
The five-time Champions League winner first scored in the 2-1 defeat to Young Boys in United’s first game of the tournament. He then bagged the winner against Villarreal (2-1) on matchday two and scored another decisive goal in the 3-2 win over Atalanta the following gameweek.
On matchday four, he scored a match-saving brace in a 2-2 draw with Atalanta before scoring on the penultimate matchday against Villarreal in a 2-0 win.
Unfortunately, the forward was completely neutralized in the Champions League Round of 16 against Atletico Madrid and failed to score in either leg.
Without the 37-year-old maverick inspiring them, the English giants succumbed to a 2-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of Los Rojiblancos.
#4 Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City
Manchester City maestro Kevin De Bruyne effortlessly pulled the strings from the middle of the park before his side’s gut-wrenching defeat against Real Madrid.
He played in five of six group stage games, missing the penultimate fixture, against Paris Saint-Germain, due to COVID-19.
The Belgian played as a central midfielder and an attacking midfielder in the 2021-22 Champions League campaign, excelling in both roles. Over the 10 matches, he played 397 passes with 82 percent passing accuracy, registered 29 passes into the opposition penalty box, including four assists.
He also scored a couple of goals. His first was a tie-winning effort against Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals. He scored his second in the 4-3 win over Real Madrid in the semi-final first leg.
His best performance of the tournament came in the game against Los Blancos at the Etihad. Not only did he open the scoring, but he also assisted Gabriel Jesus’ first-half strike.
Sadly, he could not replicate the heroics in the return leg and was mysteriously subbed off in the 72nd minute.
#3 Kylian Mbappe - Paris Saint-Germain
Kylian Mbappe was in top form in the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League. Not only did he score some important goals in the group stage, but he also was PSG’s only presentable player against Real Madrid in the Round of 16.
The Frenchman fired a couple of blanks in the first two group-stage matches, but found the back of the net against Club Brugge on matchday three. His strike helped the Parisians to a closely-contested 3-2 win. The 23-year-old was on the scoresheet in the final two gameweeks as well, scoring once against Manchester City (2-1 loss) and twice against Brugge (4-1 win).
Additionally, Mbappe scored a superb solo goal in the Round of 16 first leg against Real Madrid to guide PSG to a 1-0 win.
In the return leg, he scored again to double PSG's cushion. But his compatriot Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick to spoil the Parisians' party.
#2 Riyad Mahrez - Manchester City
Riyad Mahrez has been one of Manchester City’s leading performers in all competitions this season. He has impressed everyone with his movement, dribbling, playmaking, and, most importantly, his emphatic finishing.
In the Champions League, too, the Algerian managed to make his opponents’ lives tough, in almost every match.
The former Leicester City forward emerged as Manchester City’s leading scorer in the competition this season, bagging seven goals in 12 appearances. He also registered two assists.
In the group stage, Club Brugge was on the receiving end of his wrath, with the winger scoring thrice against them in two matches. He first bagged a brace in a 5-1 away win before finding the back of the net once in a 4-1 home victory over the Belgian outfit.
Mahrez was also in top shape in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. In the first leg, he put in an inch-perfect cross for Kevin De Bruyne to head home from close range.
Mahrez scored City’s only goal in the return leg to take his side agonizingly close to the final. Unfortunately, Rodrygo and Karim Benzema were not prepared to let the visitors have the last laugh at the Santiago Bernabeu.
#1 Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich ace Robert Lewandowski was the competition’s leading scorer before Karim Benzema turned on the afterburners to breeze past him.
The Poland international was in blistering form in the group stage and bagged nine goals in six appearances. He then scored four more in the knockout rounds to take his tally to 13 goals.
Lewandowski opened his account with a brace against Barcelona on matchday one, helping Bayern bag a 3-0 win over the Blaugrana. He could not find the back of the net in the return leg, but provided an assist to help his team to another 3-0 win.
Lewandowski also scored a couple of hat-tricks in the 2021-22 Champions League. His first hat-trick came against Benfica (5-2 win) in the group stage, while his second came against RB Salzburg (7-1 win) in the Round of 16.
Additionally, the Pole found the back of the net in the quarter-final second leg against Villarreal, but the visitors’ last-gasp equalizer (1-1 draw) spoiled the Bavarians' party. Bayern had previously lost the first leg 1-0 in Spain.
Also Read: 5 best players in the Champions League based on ratings (2021-22)
