UEFA Best Player: who was the best player in this year’s Champions League? Kanté was valid in defence and attack

The winner of this year’s Champions League was, somewhat surprisingly, England’s Chelsea FC. The ruik.cz portal, which represents the Czech Republic in the Best Player UEFA poll of the German magazine Kicker, as usual searched for the best player of the most prestigious club competition in the world. The extended jury of five members determined that the French world champion in the jersey of the winner N’Golo Kanté can be called the king.

Winner takes all – that’s true in football all the time. Quickly forgotten are the shooting manoeuvres of Polish duke Robert Lewandowski, who led Bayern Munich to last year’s triumph.

Likewise, the shining stars of France’s Paris Saint-Germain, last year’s runners-up – Brazilian magician Neymar, French express and world champion Kylian Mbappé and Argentine curling kick-scorer Ángel Di María – have fallen by the wayside. Although they helped knock out the famous Barcelona and defending champions Bayern Munich. The heroes in London Chelsea’s blue are reaping the rewards.

In the final matches, the semi-final against Real Madrid and the final against the favoured Manchester City, it was French legionnaire N’Golo Kanté who attracted most attention. Rightly so. With his hard work, his undying commitment, he was everywhere.

Karel Brettschneider, bookmaker at Chance, sees him as the best player in the competition. “No offensive superstar this year, but a midfield worker,” he says, subverting the stereotype that cannoneers are the most valued. “It has to be said, quite deservedly,” he points out. “The best player of the semi-final and the final. I have selected him before as the best player and I vote for him as the best player of the whole year,” he confirms.

Above all, he appreciates his contribution to the team. “I will repeat myself, but without him Chelsea would certainly not have won the title,” Brettschneider points out. “We may not like his style, but he is simply efficient and winning,” he puts efficiency first.

“Kanté is a major building block in her game. Hedoes an incredible amount of work every game, he breaks down the opposition’s attacks, he is there for everything essential that happens in Chelsea’s defensive half,” he reveals.

“On top of that, this year he has added an extra dimension in the offense, where he has been at several key actions,” Brettschneider adds further value. “Mainly because of him, they can finally cuddle the Eared Cup in London,” he reiterates.

Former Czech and Czechoslovak international Günter Bittengel is of the same opinion. “Strong, perhaps the strongest in defensive work, tremendously valid in offensive work,” he agrees with Kanté’s characterisation.

“It wasmainly thanks to him that Chelsea got past Real Madrid and he was also extremely useful in the final against Manchester City,” he praises the French international’s contribution, even though he himself gave the vote to the only goal scorer Kai Havertz in the last game.

Kanté was also highly praised by jury member Erich Brabec. However, when choosing the man of the match, he pointed to another personality from the winner’s squad: for him, the number one man is Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy.

“I may surprise someone, but that’s how I see it,” he defends his pick. “Chelsea had a lot of problems in the defensive phase, which were only solved by Mendy,” explains the experienced stopper of the champion Slavia and Sparta. “He only conceded three goals in twelve games, that says it all,” he takes the help of statistics.

On the other hand, Ivan Hašek, a Spartan legend and later coach of the Czech national team, was targeted by the final opponent. For him, the chosen one is Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. “An exceptional footballer who can do everything and everything revolves around him,” he reveals his main qualities.

According to Hasek, it was an injury (a broken nose) and the withdrawal of the blonde playmaker and goalscorer that caused Manchester City to fall short of the coveted trophy. “Of course, it’s only if,” Hašek admits. But there is no denying that De Bruyne could still have played a very important role at the end of the game.

Pavel Chaloupka, a legend of Bohemians Prague and a participant in the 1982 World Cup in Spain, offers a classic insight. He is clear – the best scorer of the competition with ten accurate hits, Norwegian conqueror Erling Håland in the service of German Borussia Dortmund.

“He made it among the best at the age of 20,” he gazes admiringly at his birth certificate. “He’s young, he can still improve,” he predicts a bright future for the Viking.

But the French worker N’Golo Kanté, ten years older and 26 centimetres shorter, received the most votes.

Jury vote:

Günter Bittengel:: N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea)

Erich Brabec: Édouard Mendy (Chelsea)

Karel Brettschneider:: N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea)

Ivan Hasek:: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Pavel Chaloupka:: Erling Håland (Borussia Dortmund)

Source: UEFA