The Best UCL Fantasy Players of the Last Five Seasons and What We Can Learn

Past points never guarantee future returns, but they do reveal what a truly elite UCL Fantasy asset looks like.

Across the last five Champions League campaigns, the leading performers have come from very different positions. Karim Benzema dominated through goals. Mats Hummels built a remarkable total from clean sheets and ball recoveries. Raphinha and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia combined attacking output with the generous scoring available to midfielders.

The names change. The underlying routes to points are much more consistent.

Here is what five seasons of UCL Fantasy scoring can teach us before building a 2026/27 squad.

The leading scorer from each season

The jump in totals from 2024/25 is partly explained by the expanded Champions League format. The competition now contains 17 fantasy matchdays rather than the 13 available in earlier seasons, giving players from deep-running teams more opportunities to accumulate points.

That makes raw totals across different formats imperfect comparisons. The more useful question is how each player earned their score.

2021/22: Benzema proves the value of a talisman

Karim Benzema scored 15 Champions League goals as Real Madrid won the competition, finishing on 102 UCL Fantasy points. Robert Lewandowski reached 91 after scoring 13 times for Bayern, while Leroy Sané led the midfielders with 84.

This was the classic premium-forward season. Benzema was the focal point of the eventual champions, took penalties and repeatedly delivered in the knockout rounds.

The lesson is not simply to buy the most expensive striker. It is to identify the attacker whose team, role and minutes all point in the same direction.

An elite forward becomes worth the premium when he offers:

• Near-certain starts in important matches.
• Penalty responsibility.
• A high share of his team’s goals.
• Genuine captaincy potential.
• A strong chance of progressing deep into the competition.

A premium without those features can quickly become an expensive passenger.

2022/23: defenders show their multiple routes to points

Vinícius Júnior was the leading scorer in 2022/23 with 93 points after producing seven goals and six assists for Real Madrid. Yet the wider team of the season was dominated by defenders.

Alessandro Bastoni scored 76 points, Rúben Dias 75 and Giovanni Di Lorenzo 70. Manuel Akanji and Alejandro Grimaldo also made the leading XI.

That season was a reminder that UCL Fantasy defenders are not dependent on clean sheets alone. They can combine:

• Four points for a clean sheet.
• Six points for a goal.
• Three points for an assist.
• One point for every three ball recoveries.
• Appearance points.
• Three points for Player of the Match.

A centre-back who regularly reaches six or nine recoveries can build a reliable floor even when the attacking return never arrives. An adventurous full-back can add a much higher ceiling.

The ideal defender is not always from the team with the shortest clean-sheet odds. Sometimes the best asset is a secure 90-minute player who collects recoveries, attacks set pieces and remains involved when their side concedes.

2023/24: Mats Hummels changes the idea of a premium asset

The highest-scoring player in 2023/24 was not Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé or Vinícius Júnior. It was Mats Hummels.

The Dortmund centre-back reached 93 points after recording 120 ball recoveries and six clean sheets on the way to the final. Harry Kane was the leading forward with 74, while Jude Bellingham topped the midfielders on 72.

Hummels demonstrated the power of repeatable defensive actions. Goals are volatile. Ball recoveries can arrive in almost every type of fixture, including matches where a defender’s team is under pressure.

That has two implications for squad selection.

First, centre-backs should not be dismissed because they offer little attacking threat. A recovery-heavy defender can outscore a more glamorous full-back over time.

Second, difficult fixtures do not automatically destroy a defender’s value. A clean sheet may become less likely, but the opportunity for recoveries can rise when the opposition dominates possession.

The best UCL Fantasy squads usually contain a blend: attacking defenders for ceiling and recovery specialists for stability.

2024/25: Raphinha sets a new standard

Raphinha produced the highest UCL Fantasy total of the five-season sample, scoring 137 points for Barcelona. His 22 attacking returns were the most recorded in a single Champions League campaign.

Serhou Guirassy reached 103 points after scoring 13 goals for Dortmund, but defenders again played a major role. Achraf Hakimi finished on 125, Nuno Mendes on 108 and Willian Pacho on 93 as Paris Saint-Germain won the competition.

This season highlighted two particularly valuable profiles.

The attacking midfielder with forward-level output

Midfielders receive five points for a goal, one more than forwards, and can also collect a clean-sheet point. When a player classified in midfield operates as one of their team’s main scorers, the upside is enormous.

Raphinha did not need to be the official striker to become the game’s most dangerous asset. His position in the fantasy game amplified already outstanding attacking numbers.

The defender from an elite, progressive team

Hakimi and Mendes combined clean-sheet potential with the attacking involvement of wide players. Pacho offered a different route through security and recoveries.

Owning defenders from a team expected to reach the latter rounds does more than chase one clean sheet. It buys repeated access to starts, recoveries and attacking opportunities across a longer season.

2025/26: Kvaratskhelia leads another midfield surge

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia topped the 2025/26 standings with 121 points after recording ten goals and six assists for Paris. Team-mate Vitinha reached 100, while Anthony Gordon scored 90 and Dominik Szoboszlai 89.

Harry Kane led the forwards with 103 points. Julián Alvarez finished on 96 and Kylian Mbappé on 94, with Mbappé scoring 15 goals and Kane scoring 14.

At the back, Willian Pacho returned 91 points for a second consecutive 90-plus campaign, while Nuno Mendes followed his 108-point season with 87.

The repeat performers are particularly useful. One great campaign can be driven by an extraordinary run of form. Strong totals in consecutive years suggest a role and playing style that continue to suit the scoring system.

Pacho’s consistency points towards the value of recoveries and progression. Mendes offers both defensive and attacking routes. Kane has now appeared among the leading forwards in three successive seasons.

The five most important lessons for 2026/27

1. Midfielders can offer the highest ceiling

Raphinha’s 137 points and Kvaratskhelia’s 121 underline the advantage of a midfielder who plays like a forward.

The five-point goal, clean-sheet point and access to assists, recoveries and Player of the Match awards create a broad scoring profile. Premium midfielders should be judged alongside premium forwards, not merely as support acts.

2. Ball recoveries create reliable value

Hummels’ 2023/24 campaign is the clearest example, but Pacho’s back-to-back totals reinforce the point.

Managers naturally focus on goals and assists because they are visible. Recoveries can be less exciting, but they often separate a dependable fantasy pick from a player who needs a clean sheet to survive.

Check how a defender scores, not only how many points they scored.

3. Team progression matters more than in a domestic fantasy game

A player eliminated early loses the opportunity to score in later rounds. That makes the likely strength of the club part of the player’s value.

The perfect Matchday 1 pick may not be the perfect long-term pick. When two players have similar roles and prices, the one attached to a likely quarter-finalist or semi-finalist has a structural advantage.

This becomes more important in the knockout rounds, when transfer planning is dominated by elimination risk.

4. Reliable minutes remain the foundation

The historic leaders were not occasional impact substitutes. They were central to their teams.

Appearance points, the 60-minute point, clean sheets and recoveries all depend on time on the pitch. A brilliant attacker with a 55-minute role can be less useful than a slightly less explosive player who completes most matches and takes set pieces.

Secure minutes should be the first filter. Upside comes afterwards.

5. The best premium must also be a captain

The leading 2026/27 prices include Mbappé, Kane and Haaland at €11.0m, with Kvaratskhelia, Julián Alvarez, Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembélé at €10.0m.

At those prices, simply being a good pick is not enough. Premium players need to justify the sacrifices they create elsewhere. Captaincy is the cleanest route to doing that because it doubles their returns.

A premium you rarely trust with the armband may be less valuable than two mid-priced players who strengthen the whole 15.

Returning stars to consider in 2026/27

Historical performance is only one part of the decision, but several previous leaders begin the new campaign with obvious appeal.

• Harry Kane, €11.0m: Three consecutive appearances among the leading forwards and an attractive opening pair of fixtures against Bodø/Glimt and Viking.
• Kylian Mbappé, €11.0m: Fifteen Champions League goals last season and home matches against Inter and Leipzig within Real Madrid’s first three rounds.
• Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, €10.0m: Last season’s top scorer opens at home to Slovan Bratislava, although Paris then face Manchester City and Barcelona.
• Nuno Mendes, €6.0m: One of the top three fantasy defenders in each of the last two seasons, with attacking potential on top of Paris clean sheets.
• Dominik Szoboszlai, €7.0m: An 89-point 2025/26 campaign at a noticeably lower price than the elite midfield bracket.

These are starting points, not automatic selections. Confirm fitness, role and likely minutes before the Matchday 1 deadline.

How to use historic UCL Fantasy points properly

Previous-season points are most useful when broken into components.

Ask:

• Did the player rely on an unsustainable number of goals?
• Were recoveries a regular source of returns?
• Has their position or role changed?
• Do they still take penalties or set pieces?
• Is their club likely to progress as far again?
• Has the fantasy price fully accounted for last season?
• Are the opening fixtures good enough to justify immediate selection?

A 100-point season can describe several very different assets. One may be a reliable long-term hold. Another may have peaked during a run that is unlikely to repeat.

The objective is not to buy last season’s points. It is to find the conditions that created them and decide whether those conditions still exist.

The UCLFantasy.com verdict

Five seasons of data point towards a balanced squad rather than a single winning position.

Premium forwards remain powerful when they dominate their team’s attack and provide captaincy. Advanced midfielders can exceed them because the scoring system adds an extra point per goal and a clean-sheet bonus. Defenders can match both through attacking returns, deep progression and relentless ball recoveries.

The best managers will not simply sort the player list by last season’s score. They will identify which players possess several repeatable routes to points, then use fixtures, price and matchday order to decide when to own them.