The UEFA Champions League concluded earlier tonight at Wembley Stadium, just 125 games after it began in Milan and Bern. With 374 goals netted and only 53 clean sheets held, the 2023-24 campaign has been filled with drama, story twists, and, most importantly, statistics. Even after the enthralling final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, there are still individual awards to be won, history to be written, and mysteries to be discovered.
Who had the most goals in this season of the UEFA Champions League?
Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain are the top two goalscorers, each with eight. Everyone may recall that neither superstar's semifinal performance went as planned. Even a player as quick as Mbappe cannot accelerate his move to Madrid. Unlike FIFA, which insists that the man with the most assists win the World Cup's award for highest scorer, UEFA does not use tiebreakers in the Champions League scoring battle. It is going to be a joint prize for Kane.
Their nearest challengers, Antoine Griezmann and Erling Haaland, have six Champions League appearances each. The top scorers' eight goals represent the first time an individual who hasn't scored double figures has taken home the Golden Boot since Lionel Messi in 2009-10.
Who had the most assists in this season of the UEFA Champions League?
At the start of the season, no one would have imagined such a competition for assists. This is because Marcel Sabitzer successfully completed 213 passes, generated 13 opportunities, and contributed 1.32 anticipated assists (xA) to the cause. This has resulted in five assists, the most in the competition prior to today's final.
It was still everything to compete for at Wembley, with Vinicius and Jude Bellingham just one assist away from leveling with Sabitzer. Since Jude Bellingham assisted on the second goal, the award would once again be split between the two midfielders.
Who had the most clean sheets in this season of the UEFA Champions League?
Fortunately, on this occasion, it also features a player who is unquestionably the finest goalkeeper during the 2023-24 Champions League. Gregor Kobel already has 6 clean sheets over his name. Having the best custodian in the tournament has advantages and disadvantages. Credit is due to Alex Remiro, David Raya, Manuel Neuer, as well as Yann Sommer, who finished behind the Swiss shot stopper, but it is the Borussia Dortmund player who wins this award.