UEFA Best Player: the Sporting captain was the best player of the 2nd round of the Champions League, scoring two goals with his head

The world’s most exclusive club competition, the Champions League, has already reached the third round of the preliminary groups. The Ruik.cz portal, which represents the Czech Republic in the Best Player UEFA poll of the German magazine Kicker, was looking for the best player as usual. Uruguayan midfielder Sebastián Coates scored twice against Besiktas Istanbul.

It was not an individual, but the excellent performance of the whole team that was singled out by Erich Brabec, a permanent member of the jury and former Czech national team player. “I was literally mesmerised by Ajax,” he says, not shying away from a stronger emotional expression. “What they did against Borussia Dortmund, the leading team in the German Bundesliga, was unbelievable,” he gushes.

But every collective is made up of individuals who pull it off. “The Brazilian striker Antony,” draws Brabec one name. “A skilful winger, he constantly troubled the opposition defence with his runs and contributed to the result with one goal,” he calculates his merits.

Pavel Chaloupka, a participant in the 1982 World Championship in Spain, proved to be a stalwart. “I know, it’s over and over again, but Lionel Messi,” he chooses a tried and tested name.

He was captivated by the fact that the Argentine striker converted a penalty against Leipzig in the style invented by his teammate from Bohemians Prague and the Czechoslovak national team, Antonín Panenka.

“He took me back half a century,” Chaloupka says, not shying away from nostalgia. “Once again we saw someone committing to a long shot in an important game,” he says. ” But that’s where Messi’s greatness lies,” he recalls.

Italy’s European champion Jorginho also scored twice from the penalty spot for defending champions Chelsea FC against Sweden’s Malmö FF. “But each time he opted for a bland shot,” Chaloupka points out the difference in execution. And Messi’s first goal also caught his eye. “To hit the ball against the bar, only a man can do that,” he points out with a smile.

Another regular member of the jury, Karel Brettschneider, a bookmaker at the Chance bookmaker, found personality among the defenders who can make their way in front of the opposition goal. “I choose Sebastian Coates. The Sporting captain was unstoppable at corner kicks and struck twice with his head. With a bit of luck he could have added a third goal,” points out Brettschneider.

The contribution of the Uruguayan legionnaire is highlighted by other added values. “I appreciate the fact that he managed to decide the game, even though he is a stopper and not one of the regular scorers,” says Brettschneider.

“Although Besiktas kept the ball on their hoof over sixty percent of the time, they only got two shots on target. You can see that Coates did a reliable job defensively as well. Sporting strolled to a comfortable victory,” he elaborates.

Coates was the clear hero of the match. “To score two goals in the Champions League is a truly remarkable feat for a stopper,” agrees Brabec, who has been at the position his entire career.

The jury’s vote

Erich Brabec:: Antony (Ajax Amsterdam)

Karel Brettschneider:: Sebastián Coates (Sporting Lisbon)

Pavel Chaloupka:: Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)

Source: UEFA