The Champions League is packed with unfamiliar stars (Picture: Getty) The Champions League is back tonight with the finest sides on the continent battling it out to become Champions of Europe. The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Erling Haaland are expected to take centre stage once again in what promises to be another dramatic season of European football. But there are a whole host of less familiar players who will be hoping to make a name for themselves in Europe’s premier club competition this term. Metro takes a look at 10 players to keep a close eye on in the Champions League this season, from Real Madrid’s £120m signing to Barcelona’s new wonderkid. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. 1. Nico Paz (Como) Paz (Picture: Getty) Como are making their Champions League debut this season and boast one of the most sought-after young players in the world in Paz. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder, who was born in Spain but plays for Argentina, was named as the best midfielder in Serie A last season and will look to continue that form on the European stage this campaign. But while the Italian side will be playing in the Champions League for the first time, Paz will not be, having made three appearances for Real Madrid in the group stage of the 2023/24 edition. 2. Mika Godts (PSG) Godts (Picture: Getty) Godts enjoyed an incredible breakout season at Ajax last year with over 30 goals and assists notched up for the Dutch giants, which convinced PSG to part with almost £50m for his services this summer. Godts is yet to start a game for PSG this season but the 21-year-old will surely be given enough game time in the competition by Luis Enrique to showcase his immense talent to Champions League audiences. Despite his stellar season at Ajax, Godts was remarkably left out of the Belgium squad for the World Cup by the now-departed Rudi Garcia. 3. Konstantinos Karetsas (Borussia Dortmund) Karetsas (Picture: Getty) Very few clubs have an eye for young talent as much as Dortmund, who snapped up Karetsas from Genk last month for just shy of £30m. The attacking midfielder has started both of Dortmund’s Bundesliga games this season and even scored for the German side in their 3-2 victory over Arsenal in pre-season. Karetsas, 18, is the poster boy for a golden generation of Greek football, who have silently produced one of the most promising groups of players in international football. 4. Pio Esposito (Inter) Esposito (Picture: Getty) Esposito has emerged as one of the most rounded young strikers in Europe over the past 12 months. The Italian star scored a modest ten goals for the Nerazzurri last season, but it is his all-round performances which have produced such a hype around the 21-year-old. The likes of Arsenal and Manchester United have been credited with an interest in Esposito, who has recently signed a new six-year deal with the Serie A champions. 5. Yan Diomande (Real Madrid) Diomande (Picture: Getty) The major heavyweights of European football were all circling around Diomande this summer, and it was Real Madrid who emerged victorious with a club-record £120m deal to secure his signature from Leipzig in August. The move to the Bernabeu marks a meteoric rise for the winger, who only joined Leipzig from Leganes last year. The 19-year-old has struggled for game time under Jose Mourinho in the early stages of the campaign, but there is little doubting the talent that the Ivorian possesses. 6. Oskar Pietuszewski (Porto) Pietuszewski (Picture: Getty) Porto would have had high hopes when they signed Pietuszewski from Jagiellonia Bialystok for just £9m back in January, but they surely couldn’t have imagined quite the impact he would go on to make. The Polish star almost instantly cemented his place in the starting XI with a string of age-defying displays on the wing. Pietuszewski, 18, has subsequently been linked with the likes Arsenal, Chels
Tap a headline to view metadata and excerpt fields in Sportra, then use the article website button to continue on the original publisher page.
/https%3A%2F%2Fsportsmole-media-prod.s3.gra.io.cloud.ovh.net%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F09%2Fkvaratskhelia-psg-6a99871869f44414414798.jpg)