Champions League: 3 Players to keep a close eye on

Europe’s top club competition “Champions League” is underway now and expect another exciting campaign. As teams and players prepare to battle it out for the trophy with the big ears, this would be the perfect opportunity to profile three players you should watch out for.

Let’s get cracking…

Donyell Malen – (Borussia Dortmund)

Position: Attacker

Malen arrives from PSV Eindhoven after scoring an impressive season which saw him score 27 goals in 45 appearances for the Dutch side last season.

He has the pace to get past players as well as passing and great positioning which enables him to create opportunities for his teammates. He is best suited at center forward but can play on both flanks where he can use his pace and dribbling abilities to progress the ball and deliver it to quality areas in the box. His link-up play is good and adds to the attacking quality Dortmund already posses with Erling Haaland, Giovanni Reyna, Marco Reus to name a few.

Ryan Gravenberch – (Ajax)

Position: Midfielder

Gravenberch wi

Gravenberch is one of the most exciting young players in Europe. Coming from Ajax’s famous academy, he stands at 6ft with a relatively slight frame and a slender physique but he is also is very agile and quick with feet. He does his best work when operating in the double pivot on the left side and is an all-rounder in regards to his movement as he looks to help in the buildup phase often dropping deep in his half to create a numerical advantage but he also looks to advance forward towards the left-wing where he can link up play in the final third.

Ajax will hope to advance to the knockout phase of the tournament but will have to finish top 2 with a group that consists of Borussia Dortmund, Beşiktaş, and Sporting Lisbon.

Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)

PositionMidfielder/Attacker

2020 was a breakthrough year for Jamal Musiala as he established himself as one of the best young players in Europe after bursting onto the scene scoring his first Bundesliga goal in an 8-nil victory over Schalke making him Bayern’s youngest goal scorer.


Musiala plays as a number 10 but he’s also played down the left side of the attack and can play across the midfield. Musiala is remarkably agile and can receive the ball, turn at pace, and beat his man by taking numerous small touches. This gives him the option to shoot when he’s close to the box or release a teammate who can have a shot at the goal. Former Bayern manager and Current Germany head coach, Hansi Flick described Musiala as “A player with a great eye and feeling for choosing the right spaces. He has enormous quality on the ball, is very confident on the ball, and plays well between the lines.”

Expect to hear Musiala’s name a lot more this season as Bayern will look to win their 7th Champions League with Musiala hoping to play a key part in doing that.

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