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The UEFA Champions League Player of the Season Award is a highly esteemed prize given every year to the player who has performed the best in Europe's elite competition.
The award recognizes a player who has shown exceptional skill, consistency and impact throughout the competition, making a critical contribution to their team's success.
It celebrates excellence on the biggest stage of European club football and has been won by some of the greatest footballers in history.
The UEFA Champions League Player of the Season Award represents individual brilliance in a team sport and is a testament to the world-class talent participating in the tournament every year.
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Without further ado, let's take a look at the five favourites to win the UEFA Champions League Player of the Season Award (2023-24).
#5 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
That Kylian Mbappe will light up Champions League nights is a given. Though it's hard to predict for how long. That has been the case with Paris Saint-Germain. Despite the wealth of talent and embarrassment of riches at their disposal, they've come up well short of achieving their European dream in recent times.
Mbappe is once again going to be PSG's main man. He has the pace, intelligence and technical skills to produce jaw-dropping moments regularly but needs to be adequately backed by the supporting cast.
The Frenchman has shown time and again that he is destined for greatness. Leading PSG to the Champions League title will further solidify his legacy as one of the greatest attackers of the modern era.
#4 Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Having finally managed to leave Tottenham Hotspur in the past, Harry Kane now finds himself in a locker room surrounded by perennial winners. Could he be the missing cog that propels this excellent Bayern Munich team to continental glory or has he brought the Spurs' silverware curse to Bavaria?
Only time will tell. But logically, this should work out well for Bayern. Kane is one of the best centre-forwards of his generation and possesses a well-rounded skillset which enables him to slot right into their plans.
The early signs have been positive and he has scored four goals and provided one assist in four Bundesliga appearances so far. In Kane, Bayern have found the perfect replacement for Lewandowski and he is very likely to help them enjoy a deep run in the tournament.
#3 Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
Although much of the credit for Real Madrid's 2021-22 Champions League triumph is given to Karim Benzema, it'd be silly to overlook Vinicius Junior's contributions. Vinicius did an exceptional job too and even scored their winner in the Champions League final against Liverpool in the 2021-22 season.
The Brazilian talisman did well last term as well, scoring seven goals and providing five assists in 12 appearances in the tournament. Although Benzema's gone, Real Madrid have been cooking so far this season and Vinicius is unlikely to complain about a shortage of service or support in the Champions League this time.
#2 Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
The quickest way to get the pressure of a hefty price tag off your back is to start balling as soon as the gates swing open for the first time. In the early stages of the new season, Jude Bellingham has played exactly like a 20-year-old living his dream of playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
With five goals and one assist in five appearances so far, Bellingham has been the star of the show for Real Madrid. The Englishman already has experience playing in the Champions League and is expected to take his game to new levels this season.
#1 Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Who else could be at the top of this list? Erling Haaland cannot stop scoring and it is likely to remain that way for a very long time. It means that Manchester City are going to be harvesting plenty of goals this season and will be the team to beat in Europe's premier competition this term.
Haaland has got off to a flying start in the new Premier League season, scoring seven goals and providing one assist in five appearances. Drawn against RB Leipzig, Crvena zvezda and Young Boys in Group G of the Champions League, Haaland is expected to have a happy time hunting in the coming weeks.
The 23-year-old's poaching skills and hold-up play will be crucial to City once again and he is widely tipped to have yet another incredible goalscoring campaign.
