Advertisement

The 2022/23 Champions League season was arguably one of the most prolific tournament campaigns ever, producing 372 goals in 125 matches at an average of 2.98 per game.

It means the European heavy hitters were able to hit the back of the net every 30 minutes on average, showing why many people consider it the most exciting competition in the world.

Advertisement

Not all goals were spectacular, but some will go a long way in the history books, with Rodri’s title-winning strike at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium headlining the list.

As revealed by the official release, we have the best goal of the 2022/23 Champions League season, but was it really the right choice?

From a shortlist of ten goals, another vintage Lionel Messi finish against Benfica in the group phase pipped the likes of Vinicius Junior and Erling Braut Haaland to the award.

Advertisement

Paris Saint-Germain’s ‘MNM’ trio combined to break down the Eagles’ rearguard, with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar exchanging a quick passage of play, only for the Argentine to finish off with aplomb.

But what about Kevin De Bruyne’s screamer against Real Madrid in the semi-finals? You won’t see a cleaner hit than that anytime soon, not to mention it came against the best goalkeeper in the competition, Thibaut Courtois.

Not only did the Belgian’s long-range thunderbolt help Man City avoid heading into the second leg without a deficit, but it was a true state-of-art.

Or the Haaland Airways? In a proper ‘Zlatan Ibrahimovic’ manner, the Norwegian flew over his markers to catch a mesmerising outside-of-the-boot cross from Joao Cancelo in mid-air to unlock Borussia Dortmund’s defence.

Advertisement

And the list goes on. Ajax prodigy Mohammed Kudus slalomed past three Rangers players before slotting home with a thumping strike from an acute angle early in the group stages.

His strike didn’t even make the top ten.

If Messi’s goal against Benfica was a piece of magic, and no one’s saying it wasn’t, where does that put Rodri’s outrageous deadlock-breaker against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals?

Advertisement

The Spaniard’s quick feet saw him get rid of his man in the blink of an eye before unleashing a devastating effort from a distance with a weaker left foot into the top corner.

In the end, Messi won the award in his last Champions League season, and it’s hard to think of a better man to pick up this flattering prize.

One Football