Champions League Fantasy Football: Teams of the seasons

Players who have performed well in the past are often some of the most reliable options when choosing a Matchday 1 squad on Champions League Fantasy Football, presented by PlayStation. UEFA.com has compiled a team of top Fantasy performers in each of the last five years.

2021/22 Fantasy Team of the Season

Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois – 69 points

Defenders
João Cancelo – 65 points
Reinildo Mandava – 60 points
Éder Militão – 60 points

Midfielders
Leroy Sané – 84 points
Mohamed Salah – 78 points
Riyad Mahrez – 71 points
Arnaut Danjuma – 66 points

Forwards
Karim Benzema – 102 points
Robert Lewandowski – 91 points
Sébastien Haller – 69 points

Only Karim Benzema of Real Madrid registered a three-figure Fantasy score in 2021/22, 15 goals helping him end the season with 102 points. Fellow forward Lewandowski hit 13 goals for Bayern München, earning 91 points. However, neither will feature in this season's Champions League with both now playing for clubs outside of Europe.

The top-scoring goalkeeper, defender and midfielder from 2021/22 are all set to feature in this season's league phase: Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois, full-back Joao Cãncelo, who signed for Barcelona this summer, and Galatasaray winger Leroy Sané, who picked up six goals and six assists for Bayern in 2021/22.

2022/23 Fantasy Team of the Season

Goalkeeper 
André Onana – 63 points

Defenders
Alessandro Bastoni – 76 points
Rúben Dias – 75 points
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 70 points
Manuel Akanji – 69 points
Alejandro Grimaldo – 66 points

Midfielders
Kevin De Bruyne – 68 points
Federico Valverde – 65 points

Forwards
Vinícius Júnior – 93 points
Erling Haaland – 71 points
Mohamed Salah – 70 points

While forwards were more explosive, defenders proved to be the most consistent Fantasy performers in 2022/23. Three featured in the top five points scorers; Inter's Alessandro Bastoni, Manchester City centre-back Ruben Dias and Giovanni Di Lorenzo of Napoli. The multiple avenues from which they could pick up points, such as clean sheets and ball recoveries, were key factors in their totals.

Now at Napoli, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne provided the most assists of any player that season, while then-Manchester City team-mate Erling Haaland scored 12 goals, helping him reach 71 points. However, the best Fantasy performer was Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior, who accumulated seven goals, six assists and 93 points.

2023/24 Fantasy Team of the Season

Goalkeeper 
Gregor Kobel – 60 points

Defenders
Mats Hummels – 93 points
Nico Schlotterbeck – 60 points
Achraf Hakimi – 56 points

Midfielders
Jude Bellingham – 72 points
Galeno – 65 points
Phil Foden – 62 points
Bukayo Saka – 58 points

Forwards
Harry Kane – 74 points
Vinícius Júnior – 65 points
Kylian Mbappé – 61 points

Harry Kane's first season at Bayern ended with the most Fantasy points of any forward in 2023/24 and the second most across all positions. Kane's 12 attacking returns (eight goals and four assists) was unmatched by anyone else on Fantasy. Two Real Madrid players also shone, Jude Bellingham finishing his first season in Spain as the top-scoring midfielder on 72 points, while Vinícius Júnior registered six goals, five assists and 65 points.

But it was a defender who finished with the most Fantasy points of any player, centre-back Mats Hummels recording 120 ball recoveries and six clean sheets for Dortmund. Hummels has now retired, but top-scoring goalkeeper Gregor Kobel was also a mainstay of that team and remains first choice at the Bundesliga club.

2024/25 Fantasy Team of the Season

Goalkeeper 
Yann Sommer – 65 points

Defenders
Achraf Hakimi – 125 points
Nuno Mendes – 108 points
Willian Pacho – 93 points
Marquinhos – 84 points
Denzel Dumfries – 80 points

Midfielders
Raphinha – 137 points
Ousmane Dembélé – 96 points
Vitinha – 80 points

Forwards
Serhou Guirassy – 103 points
Harry Kane – 86 points

Paris Saint-Germain full-backs were among the leading Fantasy scorers in 2024/25 as Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes finished as two of the top three. This was the first year of the new Champions League format which featured 17 matchdays rather than the previous 13, hence the significantly higher overall Fantasy scores.

Dortmund forward Serhou Guirassy also exceeded 100 points thanks to 13 goals. However, the standout Fantasy pick by a distance was Barcelona midfielder Raphinha, who finished with a record 137 points after securing the most attacking returns in a single Champions League campaign (22).

2025/26 Fantasy Team of the Season

Goalkeeper 
David Raya – 48 points

Defenders
Willian Pacho – 91 points
Alejandro Grimaldo – 90 points
Nuno Mendes – 87 points

Midfielders
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 121 points
Vitinha – 100 points
Anthony Gordon – 90 points
Dominik Szoboszlai – 89 points

Forwards
Harry Kane – 103 points
Julián Alvarez – 96 points
Kylian Mbappé – 94 points

Paris players once again stood out as the French side secured back-to-back titles. Centre-back Willian Pacho exceeded 90 points for a second consecutive season and should prove a popular Matchday 1 selection in 2026/27, as will Nuno Mendes – like Pacho one of the top three Fantasy defenders in each of the last two campaigns.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia proved to be the most lucrative player to own across the season, finishing with ten goals, six assists and 121 points. Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé ended the competition with 14 goals and 15 goals respectively, and expect both to command a high ownership ahead of Matchday 1.