2024–25 Europa League Team of the Tournament | OneFootball

Eleven players from five different teams across Europe put together stellar 2024–25 Europa League campaigns.

The 2024–25 Europa League season was full of memorable moments. From late-game heroics that spurred on improbable comebacks to nail-biting penalty shootouts, the competition delivered drama, goals and Tottenham Hotspur ending a 17-year drought.

None of it would be possible without standout players at both ends of the pitch. Even players that did not make the final still did enough to earn recognition for their elite big-time performances.

Check out which 11 players made it into Sports Illustrated’s Team of the Tournament.

2025 Europa League: Team of the Tournament (4-4-2)

GK: Nikita Haikin (Bodø/Glimt)

Nikita Haikin made the most saves in the tournament. / IMAGO/Bildbyran

Bodø/Glimt might have fallen just short of the Europa League final, but Nikita Haikin still deserves his flowers for his outstanding tournament between the posts. The 29-year-old made 65 saves in his 16 appearances, the most in the competition.

Haikin also saved one of the three penalties he faced and recorded three clean sheets. Without his heroics against Lazio in the quarterfinals, Bodø/Glimt do not even get the chance to face off with Spurs in the semifinals.

RB: Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur)

Pedro Porro recorded five goal contributions for Tottenham. / IMAGO/Flash Press Agency

Pedro Porro shined for Tottenham Hotspur on their road to Bilbao. The attacking threat the Spaniard brings to Ange Postecoglou’s team has made all the difference in the Europa League this season.

The right back recorded two goals and three assists in his 13 appearances. In fact, two of his five goal contributions came in the semifinals against Bodø/Glimt. Combined with his solid defensive performances, the 25-year-old delivered when it matters most for Spurs.

CB: Jostein Gundersen (Bodø/Glimt)

Jostein Gundersen led Bodø/Glimt's defense. / IMAGO/Gonzales Photo

For Bodø/Glimt to make such a deep run in the Europa League, they had to rely on their defense, led by Jostein Gundersen. The center back played every second of the Europa League knockout stage for Bodø/Glimt.

Gundersen averaged the most clearances (7.7) per 90 minutes and managed 96 recoveries, the second-most in the tournament. The defensive stalwart was an unsung hero for the Norwegian outfit

CB: Harry Maguire (Manchester United)

Harry Maguire saved Manchester United in the quarterfinals against Lyon. / IMAGO/Sportimage

There can be no arguments against Harry Maguire’s inclusion in any Europa League best XI. Time and time again, the England international rescued Manchester United with timely goals or defensive interventions.

No goal was bigger for the Red Devils’ entire season than Maguire’s 121st minute winner against Lyon in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals. The defender, who had already assisted Diogo Dalot’s goal in the first half, buried a last-ditch header to send Ruben Amorim’s men to the semifinals.

LB: Destiny Udogie (Tottenham Hotspur)

Destiny Udogie delivered on the left flank for Spurs. / IMAGO/Nicolo Campo

Destiny Udogie has faltered at times in the Premier League this season, but he delivered in the Europa League. The 22-year-old might not have the attacking statistics as his fellow Spurs fullback on the right flank, but he more than makes up for it in his own defensive half.

Every time Udogie got the nod in the knockout stage, the left back did his job without fanfare until the final whistle. Between his speed, agility and dribbling ability, the Italy international more than delivered when his name was called upon.

RM: Rayan Cherki (Lyon)

Rayan Cherki recorded a tournament-high eight assists. / IMAGO/PsnewZ

Rayan Cherki is another no-brainer inclusion. The 21-year-old translated his career-best season for the Ligue 1 side to the Europa League, where he all-but carried Lyon’s attack.

The Frenchman recorded a tournament-high eight assists and also found the back of the net four times. Cherki’s 12 total goal contributions are the most by any player in the competition.

CM: Patrick Berg (Bodø/Glimt)

Patrick Berg led Bodø/Glimt's midfield. / IMAGO/Bildbyran

Patrick Berg put together a stellar campaign in the Europa League. From creating chances and finding the back of the net to winning duels and pitching in defensively, the 27-year-old did it all in the midfield.

Berg started all 15 of Bodø/Glimt’s European matches and was without a doubt the team’s best midfielder. Out of all the players in the tournament, Berg ranks third in FotMob’s individual ratings with a 7.90 average.

CM: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

Bruno Fernandes carried Manchester United's attack in the Europa League. / IMAGO/Sportimage

Bruno Fernandes has far and away been Manchester United’s best player this season. It was the captain’s penalty in the 114th minute against Lyon in the quarterfinals that sparked a comeback for the ages at Old Trafford.

In total, Fernandes has seven goals and four assists to his name, giving him 11 goal contributions, the second-most in the entire competition.

LM: Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao)

Nico Williams scored five goals and two assists in 12 starts for Athletic Bilbao. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

Nico Williams’s Europa League campaign was cut short due to injury, but that does not diminish what the Spaniard did for Athletic Bilbao. The 22-year-old bagged five goals in 12 starts for the Spanish outfit, and three came in the knockout stage.

Williams bagged a brace against Roma in the second leg of the round of 16 before he scored an insurance goal against Rangers in the second leg of the quarterfinals. He also tallied two assists along the way and always looked like his team’s most threatening player in the attack.

ST: Kasper Waarst Høgh (Bodø/Glimt)

Kasper Waarst Høgh bagged a team-high seven goals. / IMAGO/Bildbyran

Kasper Waarst Høgh led the way for Bodø/Glimt up top. The striker buried a team-high seven goals in 1,032 minutes throughout the competition.

No other player managed to score more goals in the Europa League. Despite not getting to play in the final, Høgh still finished as the joint-top scorer this campaign.

ST: Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)

Dominic Solanke (center) led Tottenham Hotspur to the Europa League semifinals. / IMAGO/Jan Huebner

Despite missing nearly two months due to injury, Dominic Solanke still managed to score five goals in his debut Europa League campaign for Spurs. With a trip to the final on the line, the striker found the back of the net in the first and second leg of the semifinals against Bodø/Glimt.

Solanke bagged four assists along the way as well, fueling Postecoglou’s attack. The 27-year-old recorded with the third-most goal contributions (9) in the tournament, behind only Cherki and Fernandes.