With Europe’s major leagues either finished or close to completion, it’s time to reflect on the stars of the 2023-24 football season.
We’ve extended our end-of-season awards Europe wide, compiling an all-star XI from the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1.
Here is our Team of the Season for Europe’s top leagues in 2023-24.
Goalkeeper: Yann Sommer – Inter Milan
When Inter Milan lost Andre Onana to Manchester United in a £47.2m deal last summer, the Nerazzurri sought experience and value in the market. Yann Sommer arrived from Bayern Munich for a fee of just £5.75m and the veteran has been a calming presence behind Europe’s best defence.
Inter have conceded just 20 goals on route to the Scudetto, with Sommer leading Europe’s top five leagues for clean sheets (19) and save percentage (82.7%). His clean sheets are a club record for a single season, eclipsing Júlio César and Samir Handanovič.
Yann.
Sommer.That’s it. That’s the tweet. #EmpoliInter pic.twitter.com/vwRBt0O7hH
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) September 25, 2023
Right-back: Jeremie Frimpong – Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten campaign in Germany has been arguably the story of the season with Die Werkself becoming the first Bundesliga team to complete a season without defeat.
A key part of Xabi Alonso’s system has been Leverkusen’s wing-backs and Jeremie Frimpong has been a bundle of energy and end product. The Dutchman has 14 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, earning him inclusion in the Bundesliga Team of the Season for the second straight season. His £34m release clause appears a snip.
Centre-back: William Saliba – Arsenal
Another season of acceleration for Saliba who is maturing rapidly into one of Europe’s best defenders. After a sketchy centre-back record that has seen Sebastien Squillaci, Shkodran Mustafi, and Rob Holding struggle in the club’s colours, Arsenal finally have foundation to build upon at the back.
The Frenchman oozes confidence and a complementary partnership with Gabriel Magalhães helped Arsenal to the best defensive record in the Premier League in 2023-24.
Centre-back: Antonio Rudiger – Real Madrid
Antonio Rudiger has held the fort for Real Madrid this season with the German outstanding in the absences of Eder Militao and David Alaba. The 31-year-old outfights and outwits opposition forwards, with power, pace and a small smattering of shithousery to boot.
A confident penalty dumped Manchester City out of the Champions League at the Etihad and Rudiger is one step from landing Europe’s biggest prize with a second club.
Don Antonio Rüdiger. pic.twitter.com/vJMtGbWhxi
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) April 17, 2024
Left-back: Alejandro Grimaldo – Bayer Leverkusen
The other half of Leverkusen’s wing-back wonders, Alejandro Grimaldo might just be the signing of the season in Europe.
A free transfer recruit from Benfica last summer, the Spaniard has starred for Leverkusen’s Invincibles, with 12 goals and a mammoth 19 assists in all competitions. His delivery is exceptional and has landed Grimaldo a long-awaited place in the Spain squad for Euro 2024.
What’s your favorite @grimaldo35 goal of the season? ????????????#Bayer04 #Werkself pic.twitter.com/6TOlzj1ybV
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) November 22, 2023
Midfield: Rodri – Manchester City
The most crucial cog in the Premier League’s best team. Rodri’s well-documented run without defeat has now stretched past 70 games for club and country inside normal time, while Manchester City have lost 75% (3/4) of the league games he missed in 2023-24.
Rodri is the conduit and conductor of Pep Guardiola’s machine, receiving the ball under pressure and distributing it immaculately. This season he has added threat further forward, with eight goals and nine assists his best returns in a Premier League season. The best defensive midfielder in world football, without doubt.
Midfield: Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid
Jude Bellingham’s season at Real Madrid would be impressive under any circumstances. For a 20-year-old to be doing this, in his debut campaign at world football’s biggest and most-pressurised club, is barely comprehensible.
Bellingham has walked into the Bernabeu, puffed out his chest, and said I’m the man. He has 19 goals and six assists in the club’s title-winning season and will take on former club Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final next month.
Two stoppage-time winners against Barcelona are among the highlights of a stunning season, one that could still end with more honours and, potentially, a Ballon d’Or.
Midfield: Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen
There has not been a Bundesliga winner of the Ballon d’Or for almost three decades but in an open race this year, Florian Wirtz should be in the conversation. The 21-year-old has been ludicrously good for Leverkusen, recovering from an ACL issue sustained in 2022 to reestablish himself as one of the game’s best young talents.
He has 18 goals and 20 assists in all competitions, and ends the campaign as title-winner, Invincible, and the Bundesliga’s Player of the Year. Wirtz will hope to add the German Cup this weekend before featuring for Germany in a home European Championship.
A successful summer will see him rise into contention for further accolades.
Florian Wirtz is the Bundesliga Player of the Season.
The 21-year-old champion had 11 goals and 12 assists in 2023-24 ✨ pic.twitter.com/i0ER83XC5s
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 20, 2024
Forward: Phil Foden – Manchester City
Phil Foden has had to practice his acceptance speeches of late after collecting award after award. The 23-year-old has taken home the FWA Footballer of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season awards and there might still be more to come for the Stockport star.
Foden has been decisive and delightful all season as Manchester City have claimed a record-breaking fourth Premier League crown in a row, assuming main man status in the absences of the injured Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. A brilliant talent before, this season might just be remembered as the one that took Foden into the elite.
A reminder that Phil Foden used to walk out onto the pitch alongside the Man City players when he was a kid.
Now, he’s a six-time Premier League winner, the PL Player of the Season, and gets to walk out onto the pitch with his son, Ronnie ???? pic.twitter.com/A3Hs7WU7gg
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 22, 2024
Forward: Kylian Mbappe – Paris Saint-Germain
Kylian Mbappe will depart Paris Saint-Germain this summer after the best goalscoring season of his career.
The Frenchman has 44 goals in all competitions, with 27 coming in Ligue 1 to win the division’s leading scorer accolade for a record-breaking sixth time. He added the Player of the Season award, a record-extending fifth in a row, and will leave with the hope of establishing himself as the world’s finest footballer in his new surroundings.
Kylian Mbappé, UNFP Player of the Season! ????⚽ pic.twitter.com/PGTiy219Fu
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 13, 2024
Forward: Harry Kane – Bayern Munich
Harry Kane’s move to Bayern Munich last summer did not bring the team honours it was designed to this season, though it increased his argument as the best centre-forward in the game right now.
Kane scored 44 goals in 45 appearances for Bayern, the best return of his career, to become just the second player – after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – to win the Golden Boot in England and Germany.
⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽
All 36 of Harry Kane’s Bundesliga goals this season ????
▶️ https://t.co/JG8Ac4ItlW#MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/XjIHcWLESW
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) May 19, 2024
He’s set to be crowned winner of the European Golden Shoe and will become just the second Englishman to claim that award. One of the finest finishers in the business.
Read – Our Premier League end-of-season awards for 2023/24
See more – Our Premier League Team of the Season for 2023/24
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