Erling Haaland, Vinicius Jr and GOAL's European Team of the Season for 2022-23

Ter Stegen has enjoyed the luxury of playing behind Europe's best defensive unit this year, but that takes nothing away from his level of performance. The German shot-stopper's save percentage was his best of the last three years, and could yet set a new record for clean sheets in a La Liga season.

There have been some standout individual performances, too. Ter Stegen made crucial saves in Barca's narrow win over Atletico Madrid, while his trio of stops against Athletic Club were also key in a spring push that saw the Blaugrana seal their first league title in four years.

Right-back was an admittedly shallow position in Europe this year, but that's not to take anything away from Trippier. The Newcastle full-back is part of the reason why Eddie Howe's side made an unlikely push for Champions League football next year.

The England international was a creative force all season, setting up seven goals while also serving as a constant danger from set-pieces. Trippier's defensive impact is also not to be understated, with the right-back using every bit of his Atletico Madrid experience to add a much-needed toughness to Newcastle's backline.

It was going to come together at some point. Araujo is bigger, faster, and more athletic than everyone else. But he's also a supremely intelligent defender, capable of commanding spaces as well as functioning as a ball-winner. And this year, he finally reached the world-class potential that was always there.

Barcelona would not be the same team without him. And the scary thing is, he's still 24, and could spend many more years at the top.

Undoubtedly one of the bargain signings in Europe this year, Min-Jae has been crucial in Napoli's march to their first Scudetto since 1990. He wasn't an entirely unknown quantity when the eventual league winners brought him in from Fenerbahce, but few knew that 'The Monster' would be this impactful.

Sadly, Napoli could well sell him this summer, with Manchester United linked with a big-money move for the South Korean. Regardless, it's been a fine 12 months in Italy for one of a burgeoning talent.

Is Ake a beneficiary of Guardiola's new system, or one of the reasons it worked so well? The answer is probably a bit of both. City's modified 3-2-5 system in possession allowed Ake to focus on what he does best: stroke the ball around.

He is an excellent distributor in his own right, and more-than comfortable making decisions in City's zippy attack. But when occupying the left side of what effectively became a back three, Ake was even better. He wasn't bad defensively, either, keeping the likes of Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah quiet on one or two occasions.

Rodri is the trendy pick for this side. It is no coincidence that all of the most successful Guardiola sides have a world-class defensive midfielder, and Rodri is the latest one of those. And he might be the best not-named Sergio Busquets.

All of the defensive capabilities are here: the command of space, reading of the game and tactical fouls. But he's also an underrated creative presence and can play incisive passes in the final third, if needed. Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland may grab the headlines, but Rodri has been instrumental for City in his own right.

Bundesliga Player of the Year before he turns 20? Not bad!

Bellingham was always going to be very good, but this year, he was outstanding. The England star developed into a world-class box-to-box midfielder, scoring, assisting, and also doing his fair share of defensive work. The Steven Gerrard comparisons write themselves, but they are truly starting to make sense. Real Madrid are getting an outstanding talent.

Perhaps the most underrated quality about De Bruyne has been his ability to evolve under Guardiola. The Catalan coach doesn't necessarily deploy players in positions, instead relying on zones and movements. But over the years, De Bruyne has been tasked with slightly different roles.

He has played, loosely, as a No.8, No.10, winger, and, most recently, effectively as a second striker. And in every position, in every iteration, he's been among the best players in Europe.

This year, though, was perhaps the most deadly version, given his near-perfect understanding with a world class striker. Opponents must only fear what, exactly, he is asked to do next season.

Vinicius is not a right-winger. He is, in fact, arguably the best left-winger in the world outside of Kylian Mbappe. But for the sake of argument, and recognition, he is able to play on the right if needs be. The Brazilian quietly improved over the course of his first three years in Madrid, and finally came into his own in the 2021-22 season.

This campaign, though, he got even better. He will finish the year with more than 40 goal contributions in all competitions for club and country, all while playing alongside a striker in Karim Benzema who simply demands the ball in the box.

More importantly, though, Vinicius is an electric playmaker and dribbler, one of the true showmen of the game, and among the best in the world because of it.

He was always going to score lots of goals. That he would score even more than lots of goals was simply a bonus.

Haaland is now the leading goalscorer in a single season in Premier League history. He is only the second player to score five goals in a Champions League knockout fixture. He is the quickest player to reach 30 goals in Champions League history. And those are just the highlights.

The scary thing is, there were some imperfections. Haaland missed a few that he should have scored, and was kept surprisingly quiet against the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid. Chances are, he will outdo his own stratospheric numbers next season.

It's baffling that Mbappe will walk away from this campaign with only a Ligue 1 title. His level of performance, World Cup final hat-trick and all, warrants more material success. Still, for now, he will have to settle for another 30+ goal season, and the Paris Saint-Germain armband.

A friendly reminder that he is still yet to hit his prime, and has never really played in a truly complete team. PSG might not assemble that around him, but a certain Spanish club could.