WhoScored's All Star Team of the Month - April

We've now entered the final month of the season across the major European leagues and while the titles have all effectively been sealed, there is still plenty to play for the clubs attempting to break into Europe, as well as those hoping to stave off the threat of relegation.

April proved to be an important period in the shaping of each league ahead of a dramatic finish and WhoScored.com takes the opportunity to look at some of the top performers from last month. We’ve picked our All Star Team of the Month based on league ratings only, with players having to have made at least 3 appearances in April to be considered.

Alex McCarthy (Reading) – 8.02

Alex McCarthy returned from injury to displace Adam Federici in the Reading goal and Nigel Adkins' decision reaped immediate rewards. The young shot stopper pulled off one of the displays of the season from a keeper against Liverpool, picking up a rating of 9.7 from WhoScored.com having made 10 saves to keep Brendan Rodgers' side at bay. He then went on to keep another clean sheet in a dire basement battle with QPR at the weekend.

Matthew Lowton (Aston Villa) – 7.86

Aston Villa's Matthew Lowton fills the right-back role after a sensational performance against Sunderland, highlighted in this player focus on the defender. He produced a great assist for Villa's second on Monday, as well as 6 interceptions, 5 dribbles and 4 key passes on the night, not to mention netting a goal of the season contender to ensure Lambert's side returned from the Britannia Stadium with all three points.

Mehdi Benatia (Udinese) – 7.81

Moroccan centre-back Mehdi Benatia played a big part in a hugely successful month for Udinese, with the Serie A side climbing to 6th having picked up a maximum of 9 points. Guidolin's team conceded just one goal in their three matches, with Benatia scoring in the home win over Chievo, whilst completing 6 tackles in the crucial match with Lazio a fortnight later.

Hugo Campagnaro (Napoli) – 7.82

Inter-bound Hugo Campagnaro has not let his prospective move to Milan distract him from his duties at Napoli just yet, and the Argentine was in top form for Serie A's second-placed outfit in April. Like Udinese, the Partenopei conceded just one goal in their three matches, in a valuable 1-1 draw with Milan, and Campagnaro put in assured displays against Genoa and Pescara, completing 5 tackles, 5 interceptions and 96% of his passes versus the former.

Cristian Molinaro (Stuttgart) – 7.81

A run of 3 matches without defeat, picking up 7 points prior to a hugely disappointing 3-0 loss to Augsburg, saw Stuttgart secure their Bundesliga status last month. Italian full-back Cristian Molinaro was a star performer in that time, picking up a Man of the Match award from WhoScored.com with a rating of 8.9 against Gladbach. The left-back completed 7 tackles in that game, with 21 over the month enough to rank in Europe's top 10.

Thiago Alcantara (Barcelona) – 8.30

Barca's young Spaniard Thiago Alcantara was given the chance to prove his worth in April and boy did he impress. The 22 year old was the third top rated player last month (8.30), starting 4 games for the Catalans and picking up 3 assists. Two of those came in a marvellous showing against Zaragoza, playing a part in all three of the La Liga leaders' goals having opened the scoring early on.

Thomas Mangani (Nancy) – 8.06

One of two Nancy players in this All Star team, Thomas Mangani was a rock for a side that are unbeaten in their last 6 games, winning 4 of those to climb out of the Ligue 1 relegation zone. They conceded just twice in 4 matches in April, with Frenchman Mangani winning 24 tackles in midfield - only fewer than three other players in Europe's top 5 leagues - whilst also picking up 2 assists in a 3-1 win over fellow strugglers Evian.

Benjamin Moukandjo (Nancy) – 8.04

Mangani's assists in that game were both for teammate Benjamin Moukandjo, with the right-winger adding an assist of his own to that brace to earn a Man of the Match rating from WhoScored.com of 9.1. The Cameroon international also completed 5 dribbles in the game, going on to make another three in Nancy's next match against Valenciennes, when he showed his combative side to make 6 tackles from an advanced role out wide.

Mario Götze (Borussia Dortmund) – 8.34

In a month when it was announced that Mario Götze would be joining Dortmund's league rivals Bayern Munich, the 20 year old showed just what Jürgen Klopp's side will be missing, making the timing of the announcement all the more painful for the fans. He bagged 2 goals and 3 assists in a trio of league appearances last month, with both of his strikes coming in an outstanding first half display in the 6-1 win over Furth.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – 9.21

The player of the month for April according to WhoScored.com ratings, and by some distance in terms of league appearances alone, was Cristiano Ronaldo. A total of 3 goals in 3 appearances is not out of the ordinary by the Portuguese's standards, but he also picked up 3 assists, taking his tally to 8 for the season. His strongest display came against Athletic Bilbao, playing a part in all three of Madrid's goals having mustered 6 shots and 2 key passes in the match.

Josip Ilicic (Palermo) – 8.16

Completing our XI is Palermo's Josip Ilicic, with re-appointed head coach Giuseppe Sannino's decision to move the Slovenian into a forward role of late paying dividends. He scored in all four of the side’s matches in what proved to be an unbeaten month for the Rosanero, as they climbed out of the Serie A relegation zone. Ilicic’s top performance came in a 3-1 away win at Sampdoria, scoring with one of his 4 shots and completing a huge 10 dribbles to earn a rating of 9.9.