There have been several outstanding performers in the tournament so far but who makes our all-star XI?
The group stage of the 2023-24 Champions League has drawn to a dramatic conclusion, with Paris Saint-Germain only surviving the 'Group of Death' because of Newcastle's second-half collapse at home to AC Milan.
Manchester City and Real Madrid had no such trouble, with both sides winning all six of their games, while Bayern Munich, Inter, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid all progressed without losing once. But before we start looking forward to the last 16, let's take a look back at the group stage and, in particular, its star performers.
Below, GOAL picks out its team of the tournament so far, but certain selections are bound to surprise, so feel free to post your own line-ups in the comments section at the foot of the page….
GettyGK: Yann Sommer (Inter)
Beppe Marotta has done it again! Having sold Andre Onana to Manchester United for a whopping £44 million, Inter's transfer market maestro brought in Yann Sommer on a free. To say the Swiss has proven an upgrade on the Cameroonian would be putting it mildly. While Onana has proven a disaster at Old Trafford, Sommer has quickly become a fan favourite at San Siro.
So, despite strong competition from Alex Remiro and Nick Pope, the Swiss takes the No.1 shirt after keeping three clean sheets in five group games and posting a staggering 90 percent save percentage – the best in the competition among goalkeepers to have seen at least 10 minutes of action.
AdvertisementGetty RB: Sacha Boey (Galatasaray)
Galatasaray may have failed to reach the last 16 but Sacha Boey succeeded in showing precisely why Bacary Sagna has described his fellow Frenchman as the ideal right-back for former club Arsenal.
The 23-year-old scored announced his arrival into the group stage by netting a crucial late goal in his side's 2-2 draw with Copenhagen on matchday one and he continued to carry a serious attacking threat for the remainder of the Turkish champions' campaign.
However, what really stood out about Boey was his defensive work. He won more duels (50) than any other defender in the tournament, while he also ranked second possession won (48). Expect even more interest in the former France Under-21 international next summer.
Getty CB: Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)
Thirty-four years of age and still going strong. There were those that felt Mats Hummels was finished at the very highest level but the centre-back is one of the main reasons why Borussia Dortmund incredibly managed to finish top of the 'Group of Death'.
Hummels was particularly impressive in the 3-1 victory at San Siro that secured BVB's place in the last 16, with coach Edin Terzic labelling the Germany international a "football god". His performances have certainly been divine, with Hummels featuring in the top 10 of so many metrics for defenders at the end of the group stage (tackles won, possession won, duels won, interceptions) that he was a shoo-in for inclusion at the heart of our back four.
Getty CB: Igor Zubeldia (Real Sociedad)
It would be remiss of us not to include a Real Sociedad player in our back four, given the unbeaten Basques boast the best defence in the Champions League so far. La Real kept four clean sheets in six outings and much of the credit must go to their two centre-backs, Igor Zubeldia and Robin Le Normand.
The latter was very impressive, particularly in the 0-0 draw with Inter, but Zubeldia started every game and had the superior stats. It is also worth pointing out that the 26-year-old also completed more passes than any other Sociedad player, which is perhaps no great shock when one considers that the academy product used to operate as a defensive midfielder.