How Real Madrid dominates the Champions League awards

Arda Güler’s outstanding 2025-26 UEFA Champions League campaign has earned him one of the competition’s top individual honors. UEFA’s Technical Observers Group has named the 21-year-old Real Madrid midfielder the Breakthrough Player of the Season.

The committee, made up of former players and coaches including Gareth Southgate, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Roberto Martínez, Rafa Benítez, Aitor Karanka, Claude Makélélé, Roy Hodgson, Frank de Boer and Rui Faria, selected the Turkish international after a season in which he emerged as one of Madrid’s brightest performers.

The midfielder stood out throughout a difficult campaign for the Spanish giants, who finished the year without winning a major trophy. First under Xabi Alonso and later under Álvaro Arbeloa, Güler became a key figure in the squad and one of the most consistent performers on the European stage.

He appeared in all 14 of Real Madrid’s Champions League games, starting 13 of them. His only appearance from the bench came in a 2-1 defeat against Manchester City in December. Across the tournament, he scored twice – both goals coming in the quarterfinal second leg against Bayern Munich, a dramatic 4-3 loss – and provided four assists, three of them for Kylian Mbappé.

One of his finest displays came in a 1-0 victory over Juventus during the league phase, a performance that earned him Player of the Match honors. The award replaces UEFA’s previous Young Player distinction and recognizes players who make significant progress over the course of a season. Vinícius Júnior won the honor in 2022, while Jude Bellingham followed in 2024.

Valverde’s stunning strike named Goal of the Season

Federico Valverde also received UEFA recognition after producing one of the tournament’s most memorable moments. His third goal in Real Madrid’s first-leg Round of 16 victory over Manchester City was selected as the Champions League Goal of the Season.

The move began with a lofted pass from Brahim Díaz inside the penalty area. Valverde controlled the ball, lifted it over Marc Guéhi and then fired a powerful volley beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma. The strike capped a brilliant first-half performance from Madrid in one of their best European displays of the season.

Mbappé claims Golden Boot while Vinícius tops assist charts

Kylian Mbappé finished as the competition’s leading scorer after netting 15 goals in just 11 appearances, averaging 1.36 goals per game.

His efficiency was particularly striking. The French forward registered 30 shots on target and converted exactly half of them into goals. Of his 15 goals, 12 came with his right foot, including three penalties, two were headers and one was scored with his left foot.

The tally represented a major improvement on the previous Champions League season, when he scored seven goals. In that campaign, five came with his right foot and two with his left.

Vinícius Júnior also ended the tournament among the leaders in a key statistical category. The Brazilian finished tied with Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise as the competition’s top assist provider. Vinícius recorded eight assists in 14 games, while Olise reached the same total in 13 appearances.

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