GOAL brings to you the combined XI of the Men’s and Women’s Champions Leagues
The Champions League group stages have come to an end.
In both the men's and women's editions of the competition, there have been plenty of surprises.
The likes of Barcelona, Juventus and Atletico Madrid all failed to reach the last-16, while Real Madrid Women and Benfica both failed to progress beyond the group stage, too.
Plenty of top teams delivered what was expected of them, though, thanks to many star players excelling throughout the competition.
But who are the standout heroes across both tournaments?
In partnership with Heineken’s Fresher Football, GOAL gives you the combined XI of the Men’s and Women’s Champions Leagues.
Getty ImagesGOALKEEPER | Simon Mignolet | Club Brugge
Simon Mignolet was pivotal in Belgian side Club Brugge securing a place in the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
The 34-year-old pulled off a total of 30 saves across six matches. Only Shakhtar’s Anatoliy Trubin stopped as many attempts as the Belgian, but whereas the Ukrainian conceded a total of 10 goals, only four managed to slip by Mignolet.
Thanks to him, Brugge picked up 11 points in the group to come in second place ahead of Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesDEFENDER | Mohamed Simakan | RB Leipzig
French full-back Mohamed Simakan was a reliable figure on the right side of the RB Leipzig defence as they picked up wins against Celtic, Shakhtar and Real Madrid.
The 22-year-old scored one goal across six games and registered an assist against all three of his team’s opponents to help them progress as group runners-up.
Getty ImagesDEFENDER | Kadeisha Buchanan | Chelsea Women
Chelsea have been almost untouchable in the Women’s Champions League this season and Kadeisha Buchanan has been a rock in the defence.
They had to overcome Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Vllaznia to progress and they did so with relative ease.
Buchanan, 27, was always on hand to deal with the danger, winning tackles, making clearances and blocking efforts for the Blues as they conceded just one goal in their first five matches.
GettyDEFENDER | Benjamin Pavard | Bayern Munich
French centre-back Benjamin Pavard thoroughly impressed in the heart of the defence for Bayern Munich as they finished with a perfect record in the group stage.
He was solid at the back, sure, but he also chipped in with goals against Barcelona and Inter to help them on their way to six straight victories. He was particularly strong against the Serie A side in their final game of the round.