Team of the 2024-25 European season: No spot for Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe or Harry Kane - but Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele make the cut

Gigi Donnarumma has had his ups and downs at Paris Saint-Germain. The Italian was even copping plenty of criticism during the first half of the season, and there's even talk that Luis Enrique will sanction Donnarumma's sale this summer.

However, the fact of the matter is that PSG simply wouldn't have reached Saturday's Champions League final without their giant goalkeeper, who has recaptured his magnificent Euro 2020 form in the knockout stages, turning in one heroic display after another.

It's a little strange that nobody is really talking up Achraf Hakim's prospects of winning the Ballon d'Or, given how integral he's been to PSG's sensational season. No defender across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues has won possession more times (273) than the Morocco international, while he also ranks first among his peers for direct goal involvements (20).

Put quite simply, Hakimi, who scored against both Arsenal and Aston Villa in the knockout stages of the Champions League, is one of the most complete footballers in the game today.

Arsenal's Champions League hopes were hit hard by the loss of Gabriel Magalhaes to injury. The Gunners managed to beat a ragged Real Madrid without their talismanic centre-back, but he was sorely missed in the semi-final clash with PSG.

This season, Gabriel once again proved himself a formidable opponent in the air, at both ends of the field (he scored five times in total), while his partnership with William Saliba is arguably the best in world football, so it's no coincidence that Mikel Arteta's men started to struggle at set-pieces immediately after the Brazilian was sidelined with a hamstring problem.

The rock upon which Liverpool's record-equalling 20th English title triumph was founded, Virgil van Dijk was a near-ever-present for Arne Slot's side and rarely put a foot wrong.

The giant Dutchman once again reigned supreme in the air, proved almost impossible to get around and his raking passes out to the flanks from deep inside his own half played a big role in the Reds' success. Despite being 33, Van Dijk, who also scored five times in all competitions, was rightly rewarded with a new contract after re-establishing himself as the most dominant centre-back in world football.

Maybe not since Liverpool in and around 2019 has one team been in possession of the two best full-backs in the business, but Paris Saint-Germain undoubtedly find themselves in that enviable position right now.

Just like Hakimi, Nuno Mendes is a wonderfully-rounded defender, as he's proven in this season's Champions League by marking Mohamed Salah out of both games against Liverpool in the last 16, and netting twice in the quarter-final win over Aston Villa.

PSG took a bit of a gamble paying an initial €60 million (£50m/$60m) for Benfica's teenage sensation Joao Neves last summer. He obviously looked like a star-in-the-making, but so too did Joao Felix at Estadio da Luz, and he proved a colossal waste of Atletico Madrid's money. Neves, though, is already looking like a bargain buy.

The now-20-year-old has been absolutely outstanding for PSG this season - particularly against English opposition in the Champions League - and has been directly involved in 14 goals while at the same time tormenting fellow midfielders with his perfectly-timed tackles and relentless pressing.

Luis Enrique raised some eyebrows when he picked Vitinha as PSG's best player last season ahead of Kylian Mbappe. "All of the players are good," the Spaniard said, "but he is exceptional."

The Portugal international has proven his coach's point again this year, with Vitinha establishing himself as one of the very best midfielders in the world - if not the best - with his incredibly influential displays in the Champions League. The 25-year-old has been Player of the Match three times in the knockout stages alone and it would not be a surprise to see him run the show again in Saturday’s showdown with Inter at the Allianz Arena...

As a character, Pedri is certainly not everyone's cup of tea - his comments after Barcelona's Champions League loss to Inter were undeniably embarrassing. As a player, though, he's a joy to watch, a diminutive but destructive force who also evokes memories of Xavi and Andres Iniesta with his use of the ball.

No player in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues won possession more times this season than Pedri (389), who was also directly involved in 14 goals, scoring six himself as Barca won a domestic double. Thanks to Hansi Flick, Pedri is fitter than ever before and, thus, playing better than ever before.

We're running out of superlatives for Lamine Yamal at this stage. The kid is just ridiculous, the most talented teenager we've ever seen.

He spent the season running rings around top defenders in La Liga and the Champions League, scoring a whopping 18 goals in total, and creating a further 21 with his devastating dribbling skills and outrageous outside-of-the-boot crosses. As Simone Inzaghi said after putting three men on Yamal during Inter's 3-3 draw with Barca, we're talking about the kind of "phenomenon" that only comes along every 50 years. As a result, Yamal pips the incredibly unfortunate Salah to a starting spot in our team.

Ousmane Dembele will probably win this year's Ballon d'Or if he plays well in the Champions League final - which is just the most remarkable situation for the much-maligned forward to find himself in.

Dembele arguably ranks as the worst signing in football history, given the way he not only flopped at Barcelona but also left in such acrimonious circumstances. However, after a typically frustrating first season at PSG, he's suddenly started to realise his full potential after being moved into a more central role by Luis Enrique. Going into Saturday's showdown with Inter, Dembele has a career-high 33 goals in all competitions. If he were to add to his tally in Munich, the Golden Ball would be his.

Raphinha thought about leaving Barcelona on several occasions, most recently after the 2024 Copa America. The Blaugrana probably would have let him go, too, in order to raise funds to sign other players.

However, it's just as well that Hansi Flick convinced the Brazilian to stay because the winger has just enjoyed the season of his life, racking up 34 goals and 22 assists during Barca's double-winning campaign. Raphinha's been so good, in fact, that he's got a shot at winning this year's Ballon d'Or - which is not bad for a player who was nearly out the door last summer.