UEFA Best Player: who was the best player of the 2nd round of the Champions League? Goalkeeper Giorgos Athanasiadis picked out the meringues

The world’s most exclusive club competition, the Champions League, is moving at a fast pace, with the second round of the preliminary groups behind it. 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. Moldova’s Sheriff Tiraspol famously conquered the famous Santiago Bernabéu, while the Greek goalkeeper played a big part in Real Madrid’s defeat at home.

Sensation, shock, bomb, shrapnel. Not even the rich English language can do justice to what took place at the Santiago Bernabéu in the Spanish capital. Real Madrid, the most successful club of all time (13 Champions League/Champions Cup trophies), lost 1:2 at home to newcomer Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova. The Meringues, as the royal club is also nicknamed for its white jerseys, booked one of the most shameful chapters in history.

The hero of the encounter was Greek goalkeeper Giorgos Athanasiadis, who is on loan at Sheriff from AEK Athens. “To beat Real on their soil is an unforgettable experience and a performance of a lifetime,” says former Czech international Erich Brabec, a permanent member of the jury. “He was only beaten by French cannonballer Karim Benzema from the penalty spot, all other shots were covered,” he adds.

Another permanent jury member, Karel Brettscheinder, a bookmaker at the Chance bookmaker, is of the same opinion. “Even though the game was played in front of him most of the time, he locked his goal and did not score once,” he recalls. “Out of the eleven saves he made, I would call four of them difficult saves where he nullified White Ballet’s chances,” he describes.

In a strong Group D – still featuring Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk and Italy’s Inter Milan – the Moldovan newcomer should have been the clear underdog, just by the numbers. But after an opening win at home against the Ukrainian representative, everything is different.

“Tiraspol have scored just one goal in two games and are basking in top spot in the group,” Brettscheinder points out. “Now it’s Inter Milan’s turn to start scratching their heads about how to overcome the Sheriff’s defence, led by the Greek magician at the San Siro,” looking ahead to the next round .

Rarely does a goalkeeper attract so much attention, it’s usually the goal scorers who are praised. And those are the ones that Pavel Kuka, the 1996 European vice-champion, otherwise a member of the Gól weekly’s League Cannonballers Club, notices. “For me, the best player of Round 2 is Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United,” he offers his choice.

“He had a glorious match, breaking Champions League records,” he points to the Portuguese’s 178th encounter, surpassing Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, and 136th goal tally. He is unrivalled in this category. “He scored the decisive goal again, the handling of the situation was excellent, he gave a valuable performance,” Kuka reflects.

The other star of recent years, Lionel Messi, who scored for the first time in his new engagement at French side Paris Saint-Germain, did not escape his eye. “He broke the wait for a goal, and he also contributed to the defeat of Manchester City in England, which is extremely encouraging for the French club,” declares Kuka.

Ronaldo was also an interesting player for Brabec. “He took it upon himself to prove his shooting ability,” he joins in. “But still, the Greek goalkeeper of Sheriff stands just a little bit higher for me,” he returns to the biggest sensation of the round.

Tiraspol won on the ground of Real Madrid.

Jury vote:

Erich Brabec:: Giorgos Athanasiadis (Sheriff Tiraspol)

Karel Brettscheinder:: Giorgos Athanasiadis (Sheriff Tiraspol)

Pavel Kuka:: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Source: UEFA