Over the course of the past year, the versatile midfielder has gone from a fringe player at the Vicente Calderon to one of the first names on Diego Simeone's team sheet. The 21-year-old played a starring role in Atleti's run to the Champions League final, netting three times along the way, including a stunning solo strike against Bayern that even sparked giddy talk in the British press of a £50 million (€57m) move to Manchester United.

SAUL NIGUEZ | Atletico Madrid & Spain
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