Which players made our best XI from the group stages?
The Champions League group stage is over for another year, with plenty of top players taking the chance to fill their boots against small teams, and plenty of other players showing their quality against the continent’s top teams.
Who made the final XI? Find out below.
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ST) Lionel Messi – Barcelona
Just the eight goals and two assists for the Barcelona superstar this year…
ST) Karim Benzema – Real Madrid
Picked up five goals as Real Madrid cruised to the top of their group. 
ST) Luiz Adriano – Shakhtar Donetsk
You can’t argue with the record: nine goals in five matches.
CM) Casemiro – Porto
Real Madrid’s on-loan midfielder impressed so much in Porto’s unbeaten Group Stage run that Carlo Ancelotti is said to be keen on recalling him in January.
CM) Xabi Alonso – Bayern Munich
Was the mastermind behind the most memorable result of the group stage: Bayern’s 7-1 obliteration of Roma.
DM) Nemanja Matic – Chelsea
The strong midfielder did an excellent job in front of the back four, and Chelsea conceded only three goals thanks to his tireless pressing.
LB) Layvin Kurzawa – Monaco
The full-back is a controversial character, but there’s nothing controversial about Monaco’s defensive record: they conceded only one goal in six group stage ties.
CB) Diego Godin – Atletico Madrid
Atletico dominated their group thanks to a tough defense, and Godin excelled at the back, and even picked up a goal against Malmo.
CB) Giorgio Chiellini – Juvenuts
The centre-back put in some typically outstanding performances, especially on Tuesday night when Juventus kept kept Atletico Madrid at bay in a 0-0 draw to ensure their qualification.
RB) Pablo Zabaleta – Manchester City
Scored the vital second goal to see City through against Roma last night, and was inspirational as City turned the group around in the last two games.
GK) Danijel Subasic – AS Monaco
Monaco’s amazong defensive record was in no small part down to the astonishing performance of their little-known keeper, especially in both Leverkusen matches.