Arsenal star Saka joins Messi and Mbappe in European Team of the Season
Europe’s top five leagues have all concluded and the action is over for another season. In England, Manchester City lifted the Premier League; In Germany, Bayern pipped Dortmund to the post on the last day to win the Bundesliga; PSG edged past Lens in Ligue 1; Barcelona were victorious in La Liga winning the league by 10 points and Napoli won their first Scudetto in over 30 years.
We take a look at the Team of the Season across all five leagues based on WhoScored.com ratings.
Jeremias Ledesma (Cadiz) – 7.03
Cadiz managed to avoid relegation in dramatic fashion on the final day of the season, but that does not stop Jeremias Ledesma from being the only representative from La Liga in the best XI. The Cadiz stopper played a vital role in securing La Liga status for his side, keeping a total of 12 clean sheets and making 131 saves, the third most in the league.
Kieran Trippier (Newcastle) - 7.41
Kieran Trippier features at right-back after a stellar season in the Premier League with a Newcastle side that qualified for the Champions league for the first time in 20 years. No team in the Premier League conceded fewer goals this season than Newcastle (33) and Trippier was a constant, playing in every game. Aside from his defensive attributes, Trippier also played provider with seven assists, and only Bruno Fernandes made more key passes (119) than Trippier (110) in Europe’s top five leagues.
Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich) - 7.17
The first of three representatives from the Bundesliga is Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard. The Frenchman returned a WhoScored rating of 7.17 from his 30 league appearances. He contributed four goals and one assist whilst ranking fourth in the league for total passes (2232).
Andrei Girotto (Nantes) – 7.09
Nantes were another side to beat the drop on the final day of the season and their stand out performer of the campaign was Andrei Girotto, with a WhoScored rating of 7.09. The Brazilian made more tackles and interceptions combined (195) than any other player and ranked third for clearances (171), in the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season.
Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund) – 7.27
Completing the defense is our first Dortmund representative, Raphael Guerreiro. The Portuguese defender topped the charts for assists in the Bundesliga this season, with 12, and recorded the ninth most key passes (58). He also chipped in with four goals and won the WhoScored Man of the Match award three times.
Arsenal ran Manchester City close in the Premier League falling just short in what can still be considered a great season for the Gunners. Their standout player was Bukayo Saka who was one of two to hit double figures for both goals and assists in the Premier League with 14 and 11 respectively. The English starlet ranked third for most successful dribbles (63) on his way to a WhoScored rating of 7.40
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) - 7.58
Premier League Champions Man City continued to show their dominance on English football winning their third consecutive title. No player in Europe’s top five leagues contributed more assists than Kevin De Bruyne, who also ranks fifth for key passes (98). He is the Premier League’s WhoScored player of the season with a rating of 7.58.
Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund) – 7.58
It’s another Player of the Season occupying the second central midfield role with Jude Bellingham claiming the spot. With a WhoScored rating of 7.58, Jude Bellingham was the Bundesliga’s top performer and despite heartbreak after falling just short of the title the Englishman had a memorable campaign with eight goals and four assists. The Midfielder was a monster in winning the ball back, ranking third in the league for possession won in the final third (31).
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli) -7.43
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia claims the left midfield spot in the Team of the Season with a WhoScored rating of 7.43. The Georgian won more Man of the Match awards (7) than any other player in Serie A and only Rafael Leao completed more successful dribbles (77) than Kvaratskhelia (75). He scored on 12 occasions for the Serie A champions and provided 10 assists on his way to a 7.43 WhoScored rating.
The first of an all-PSG strikeforce is none other than Lionel Messi, who despite receiving his second lowest WhoScored rating of his career, 8.28, makes it into the top XI as the Player of the Season across Europe’s top five leagues. Messi will leave the Parisian side this summer after a rocky relationship with the fans even though he scored 16 goals and provided 16 assists, the most of any other player in Ligue 1, for this season. The Argentinian won more WhoScored Man of the Match awards (14) and completed more successful dribbles (102) than any other player in Ligue 1.
Rounding off the side is our second PSG player, Kylian Mbappe. It was another season to remember for the 24-year-old netting a total of 29 league goals from 149 shots both of which top the charts in the French top division. Across the top five leagues, only Erling Haaland (36) and Harry Kane (30) scored more league goals than the Frenchman. He also proved provider on occasion with five assists and 74 successful dribbles, the fifth most in Ligue 1.
