Player Rater

UEFA Champions League finalists Chelsea FC and FC Bayern München fill five positions in the Player Rater Team of the Season. The surprise package of the campaign, APOEL FC, are also represented with Paulo Jorge and Gustavo Manduca making the cut for their starring roles in defence and midfield respectively. 

Petr Čech (Chelsea FC)
Ever-present during the English club's run to their second final, keeping five clean sheets, Čech was in imperious form in Chelsea's last-four elimination of FC Barcelona. His late save in the second leg, tipping a Lionel Messi shot on to a post, paved the way for Fernando Torres to seal the Blues' ticket to Munich.

Daniel Alves (FC Barcelona)
A right-back by trade, Alves spent much of Barcelona's campaign operating as an auxiliary winger such was his side's domination of possession. That meant the 29-year-old could often be seen in the opposition's penalty area and goes some way to explaining his total of three assists, the second highest of any full-back in the competition.

Paulo Jorge (APOEL FC)
APOEL's surprise run to the quarter-finals was built in large part on stubbornness at the back, where Paulo Jorge reigned supreme. The former SC Braga defender used his physical presence to excellent effect and made a habit of winning aerial battles, while demonstrating a knack for last-ditch interventions as round of 16 victims Olympique Lyonnais can attest.

David Luiz (Chelsea FC)
Scorer of Chelsea's first goal on the road to Munich, the Brazil centre-back has grown in stature as the season has unfolded. Comfortable on the ball and always keen to venture forward, he has drawn praise for his more defensive talents since Roberto Di Matteo took over, presenting a firm obstacle throughout the knockout phase.

David Alaba (FC Bayern München)
Deployed as a substitute and then a midfielder in the early stages of the campaign, Alaba had made Bayern's left-back slot his own by the knockout stage. At 19, he displayed the confidence and maturity of a more experienced head, dovetailing nicely with Franck Ribéry, and gave Jupp Heynckes no reason to think twice about playing him in both legs of the semi-final against Real Madrid CF.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF)
Although his campaign ended with a spot-kick miss in the shoot-out against Bayern, that came at the end of a game in which he had already scored twice – a feat he managed four times in ten appearances. Racking up a personal best ten goals overall, the Portuguese international suggested he is still getting better and better. 

Gustavo Manduca (APOEL FC)
The itinerant Brazilian has never looked more at home than in APOEL's midfield this season, his habit of making decisive contributions catching the eye from the moment he scored an equaliser and set up the winner against FC Zenit St Petersburg on matchday one. His efforts against FC Porto and Lyon proved at least as valuable.

Kevin-Prince Boateng (AC Milan)
The dynamic midfielder was responsible for not one but two of the best goals of the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League season. If the first, a shot in off the underside of the crossbar against FC BATE Borisov, owed much to the power he possesses in his right foot, his second, versus FC Barcelona, was crafted by pure skill. Éric Abidal was left particularly flummoxed after Boateng beat him with a clever back-heel before rifling a shot past Víctor Valdés.

Franck Ribéry (FC Bayern München)
A stand-out performer for the finalists with three goals and five assists to his name, Ribéry was particularly influential in the knockout stage. The France winger crafted three of his team's seven goals in the round of 16 thumping of FC Basel 1893 and weighed in with the opener in the last-four tie against Madrid. His role in Alaba's development should also not be overlooked.

Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
The Argentinian superstar excelled once again as he set a new UEFA Champions League record with 14 strikes to match José Altafini's all-time European Cup best. An unprecedented five-goal haul in the round of 16 decider against Bayer 04 Leverkusen boosted that tally, before his uncharacteristic penalty miss in the semi-finals proved costly.

Mario Gomez (FC Bayern München)
A superb return of 12 goals in 11 outings has much to do with why Bayern will dispute Saturday's showpiece. The bustling Germany forward notched a hat-trick against SSC Napoli and went one better against Basel, while his late effort in the first leg against Real Madrid gave his side the edge at the halfway stage of their semi-final.