Champions League team of season: Lionel Messi and four Liverpool stars make XI

You’ll disagree with bits of the below – it’s a game of opinions after all – but hear out our reasons …

Goalkeeper – Alisson Becker (Liverpool)

If Alisson hadn’t made a save in December, Liverpool wouldn’t have been standing on the podium in June.

You could say that Arkadiusz Milik’s shot was aimed straight at his body, but that the Brazilian had positioned himself there in the first place – in the 92nd minute of a must-win group stage game versus Napoli – showed he had both the mind and frame for the big occasion.

Given Loris Karius had proven he lacked in both, the Reds could not have asked for a more significant upgrade between the sticks. Whether with his hands or his feet, he makes everything looks so easy.

Right-back – Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

The youngest player to start consecutive Champions League finals is wise well beyond his years.

It hardly seems fair that at just 20, Alexander-Arnold had the nous to catch Barcelona cold from a corner and whip it in for Divock Origi to conjure up one of Europe’s greatest-ever comebacks.

Already a phenomenal passer and crosser of the ball, the Merseyside-born right-back’s defending has markedly improved this season, too. What a gem.

Centre-back – Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool)

No player managed to dribble past Van Dijk and retain possession in his last 64 games in all competitions. Not even Lionel Messi.

His dominance has been such that his name has even been cast as a possible Ballon d’Or winner, almost unheard of for anyone but a forward.

Liverpool could have all the Salahs and Manes in the world – but it this man who has been emblematic of their rise.

Centre-back – Matthijs De Ligt (Ajax)

To break the Liverpool streak we turn to Van Dijk’s countryman and the youngest man in this team – so young that he was five years old when the Reds last won the Champions League in 2005.

There’s only been one winner between boy versus men this season. The 19-year-old’s command of an Ajax backline that is asked to do so much with and without the ball has been nothing short of remarkable.

There are still some imperfections to this game, but look at what he’s achieved – his Ronaldo-esque header helped dump Ronaldo’s Juventus out of the UCL.

Left-back – Jordi Alba (Barcelona)

It could easily have been four of five Liverpool players here, but Andy Robertson’s Champions League campaign has been one of consistency over his assist-making audaciousness in the Premier League.

For audacity we turn to Alba for his assist to Luis Suarez alone, bisecting Jordan Henderson and Alexander-Arnold before reaching the onrushing Uruguayan.

He had a night to forget in the return leg, of course – as did every Barca player – but his five assists, joint-most with Kylian Mbappe, give him the edge.

Centre-midfield – Christian Eriksen (Spurs)

The Dane was neutralised in the final, but let’s not forget the form he showed in helping Spurs get there.

Chief string-puller against Borussia Dortmund before providing two Son assists across an incredible 180 minutes of football against Manchester City, the 27-year-old was able to show what the world what he has always been capable of on the grandest of stages.

Real Madrid may want Paul Pogba – they’d be better served concentrating on a perfect Luka Modric replacement.

Centre-midfield – Frenkie De Jong (Ajax)

On to an eventual Sergio Busquets replacement. The Barca-bound De Jong in one word? Omnipresent. The 22-year-old loves to collect the ball from deep, drive through midfield, and spends a lot of his time conducting play on the left side of the pitch.

Wherever he is, his pass success rate never drops. The ability to make the correct decisions – and swiftly at that – is gold dust given the breakneck speed of modern football. Banner performances against Juventus and Spurs before heartbreak struck more than justified his transfer to Spain.

Centre-midfield – Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool)

The third midfielder was a hard spot to fill. Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva were unbelievable in certain games, but didn’t play enough. Moussa Sissoko ranged from wonderful to blunder-ful. So why not give the place to Liverpool’s Mr Dependable?

Wijnaldum has been moulded into a man of multi-purpose by Jurgen Klopp, Though the German is not averse to mixing up his midfield, Wijnaldum played in 12 of 14 games – starting 11 – but it was for the substitute’s appearance against Barca that he’ll forever be cherished by the Kop.

Two goals, three minutes, 4-0.

Left wing – Raheem Sterling (Man City)

Oh, Raheem. What does it feel like to wheel away in ecstasy only for VAR to cause such despair? Hopefully a berth here proves some consolation prize.

In truth the 24-year-old could have hardly been more effective for City in the knockouts. He was the chief destroyer against Schalke – though there were a few candidates – and terrorised Spurs at the Etihad Stadium.

His superb finish set the stadium rocking and his last-minute, would-be winner did again, only for the video verdict. It doesn’t take away from another season of elite evolution for the England attacker.

Forward – Dusan Tadic (Ajax)

Liverpool cherry-pick the best Southampton players have to offer, but they clearly let Tadic get away. After a very good – if not staggering – career in the south of England, the playmaker turned into… one of the best goalscorers Europe has ever seen with 38 from 56 games.

Though his and Ajax’s season started in July, Tadic helped pen a modern day fairytale through three qualifying rounds, Real Madrid and Juventus, before the cruel twist against Spurs.

His magnum opus? A masterclass at the Bernabeu, first supplying Hakim Ziyech, then David Neres following an outrageous pirouette past Casemiro, before adding a screamer of his own.

Right wing – Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

There’s no forgetting Leo, no matter how many Champions League comebacks he’s now on the wrong end of.

The maestro of maestros netted 12 goals in the process of taking free-kicks to a new art form, with his effort against Liverpool worthy of any set-piece aficionado’s collection.

He laid waste to PSV, Spurs, Lyon, Manchester United and Liverpool … before the Reds returned fire. One thing is for sure – Messi was not at fault.