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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Joe Bray

Rodri named Champions League Player of the Season as six Man City teammates earn awards

Rodri is the Player of the Year for the 2022/23 Champions League after scoring the winning goal for Manchester City in Saturday's final vs Inter Milan, while Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland collected the Goal of the Season award in the competition.

Rodri's perfectly-placed goal was enough to beat Inter Milan, and followed his stunning effort in the quarter-final vs Bayern Munich. As well as Rodri's overall accolade, City have seven representatives in the Champions League team of the season - with John Stones included as an out-and-out midfielder.

Stones has developed this season into a ball-playing midfielder, moving forward from a defensive base when City have the ball. His three best performances in that role came in the quarter-finals vs Bayern Munich, the semi-final against Real Madrid, and then in the final win over Inter Milan.

Given that form in the knockout stages, Stones has been named as one of the three best midfielders in the competition this season, alongside two of his ever-reliable City teammates.

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In total, City have two defenders, three midfielders and two forwards with only Real Madrid and Inter Milan having players join them in the prestigious XI.

Ruben Dias was an ever-present in the knockout, and started 11 of City's 13 Champions League games, missing only one game. He is included, alongside Kyle Walker at right-back. Walker was a substitute in the final, but won his semi-final battle against Vinicius Jr in the two legs against Real Madrid.

Into midfield, and Stones joins the final goalscorer Rodri, who also scored against Bayern and also only missed one game in the competition. Kevin De Bruyne, who scored in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid and finished the campaign as the top assisted in the Champions League with seven, completes the All-City midfield trio.

Seven Man City players have been named in the Champions League Team of the Season (UEFA)

Bernardo Silva, player of the match in the semi-final second-leg win over Real Madrid, and ever-present in the run to the final, was named on the right-wing, with 12-goal tournament top scorer Erling Haaland an obvious choice in attack.

Completing the team was Vinicius on the right-wing, Real teammate Thibaut Courtois in goal, and Inter pair Federico Dimarco and Alessandro Bastoni in defence.

As well as earning seven spots in the team of the season, and the overall Player of the season, City featured three times in the goal of the season after the UEFA Technical Panel released their top ten strikes of the campaign.

Rodri's curler against Bayern was tenth, De Bruyne's rocket at Real Madrid was seventh, and Haaland's acrobatic finish in the home win over Borussia Dortmund took top spot, earning him a second individual award in the season in the Champions League after the Golden Boot.

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