^ ^ Ten lesser-known Champions League stars to watch in the 2026/27 season

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.

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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, Chelsea and Liverpool and it’s only a matter of time until the Pole gets picked up by one of the continent’s elite.

7. Noah Fernandez (PSV)

Fernandez (Picture: Getty)

Fernandez made his first-team debut last season and went on to feature in a handful of games for PSV – the majority of them coming towards the end of the campaign.

But the start of this season has seen Fernandez establish himself as first-choice in midfield despite being just 18.

A strong showing in the Champions League over the next few months could see the Belgian wonderkid become the next big sale from the Eredivisie.

8. Ismael Saibari (Bayern Munich)

Saibari (Picture: Getty)

Saibari had already cemented himself as one of the best players in the Dutch league with PSV over the past couple of seasons, but it was his performances in the World Cup which really saw the Moroccan make a name for himself.

His three goals for the Atlas Lions in North America this summer was enough to earn him a £45m move to Bayern in July.

The 25-year-old marked his Bundesliga debut with two assists against Stuttgart despite not even being on the pitch for half an hour, and he looks set to boost Bayern’s already enviable collection of attacking talent.

9. Xavi Espart (Barcelona)

Espart (Picture: Getty)

It feels like Barcelona introduce a new wonderkid to the world every year, and this time it’s the turn of Espart to emerge as the next gem from their fabled La Masia academy.

The 19-year-old has played every minute for Barcelona at left back this season and has not looked out of place amongst the club’s superstars.

What’s even more impressive is the fact that Espart is a midfielder by trade – and not to mention the fact he’s right-footed – in what is an extraordinary display of versatility.

10. Rodrigo Mora (Roma)

Mora (Picture: Getty)

Mora burst onto the scene at Porto when he was just 17 and went on to score 12 goals in a staggering 2024/25 season with the Portuguese club.

An underwhelming second year followed, however, with Mora managing just one goal in the league in 2025/26.

Roma overlooked the struggles of last season when they bought Mora for £21m in the summer, and they will be hoping the now-19-year-old can rediscover the form which made him one of the best young players in the world just a couple of years ago.

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^ ^ John Terry singles out Chelsea captain Reece James for criticism after Arsenal defeat

John Terry has given his assessment of Chelsea’s defeat against Arsenal

John Terry has singled out Chelsea captain Reece James for criticism in the wake of Sunday’s defeat against Arsenal.

Xabi Alonso’s new-look side were hoping to cement their status as potential title challengers at the home of the reigning champions.

The Blues made a positive start, racing into an early lead through Morgan Rogers’, but Arsenal’s class and experience ultimately told and the Gunners ran out convincing 2-1 winners.

While Terry saw many positives in defeat, he suggested a lack of intensity and concentration contributed to the mistakes that were committed in the build-up to Kai Havertz’s equaliser.

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‘Reece just needs to drop in and close the space because Havertz then has to go down the outside on his weaker foot, he came in on his left foot and got the shot off because there was a gap and space,’ said Terry on his YouTube channel.

The club legend also thought his old team missed a trick during the early exchanges when Emi Martinez received a kick to the head from Gabriel Magalhaes.

No disciplinary action was taken against the Arsenal defender, but Terry believes the VAR might have intervened had Chelesa’s leadership group, such as it is, applied more pressure to the match officials after seeing their goalkeeper writhing around in apparent pain.

John Terry said Reece James of failed to spot the danger as Kai Havertz approached goal

Reece James could only watch on as Kai Havertz equalised for Arsenal (Picture: Sky Sport)

‘I think we missed a big opportunity to get Gabriel sent off,’ he added.

‘I think it was Hato and Joao Pedro closest, as soon as I see my goalkeeper reacting like that I’m surrounding the ref saying ‘he’s just been kicked in the f’ing head ref’ put a bit of pressure on the ref.

‘I know we don’t really want to be doing that but we’re here to win 3 points and challenge for the league.’

‘I think we need to be better at dark arts, they’re big, Arsenal are the best at it.’

Whether haranguing the officials would have made a difference to Gabriel’s fate remains highly doubtful, however, with former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher suggesting the Brazil international was not guilty of violent conduct.

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‘They’re all on the floor,’ Gallagher told Sky Sports. ‘There’s a big tangle. He definitely goes to kick the ball and he gets the ball, his foot actually gets the ball.

‘That’s why it pops out of Martinez’s hands. Martinez grabs the ball, [Gabriel] goes to kick, gets the ball. Then his foot goes up and catches Martinez in the head.”

Asked whether the ball was in both hands when Gabriel then kicked Martinez, Gallagher added: ‘It was but he’s gone to kick the ball because there’s such a tangle. He’s gone to get it.

‘I don’t think there’s any malice whatsoever in it.’

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^ ^ ‘Best player on the pitch’ – Peter Schmeichel drools over Arsenal star after win over Chelsea

Martin Odegaard was the ‘best player on the pitch’ in Arsenal’s victory, says Peter Schmeichel (Picture: Getty)

Peter Schmeichel picked out Martin Odegaard for special praise after Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea, claiming no other team in the country has a player of such ‘quality’.

Odegaard scored what proved to be the decisive goal as Arsenal, the reigning Premier League champions, overcame their bitter London rivals to emerge from the Emirates with maximum points.

The Gunners were forced to come from behind in Sunday’s compelling derby after Morgan Rogers volleyed the visitors in front in only the second minute.

Former Chelsea forward Kai Havertz squeezed the ball past Emiliano Martinez to make it all square midway through the first half, before Odegaard kept his cool to give the hosts the lead just five minutes after the restart.

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The result means Arsenal are now unbeaten in their last 12 encounters with Chelsea, dating back to the latter’s 2-1 victory at the Emirates in August 2021.

It leaves Mikel Arteta’s side level on points with Manchester City at the top of the table, while Chelsea remain in fourth – three points adrift of the pacesetters at this embryonic stage of the season.

‘I’ve seen that thing that no one else has in this league. Every time they lose the ball, it feels like there’s an extra Arsenal player on the pitch,’ former Manchester United goalkeeper Schmeichel said on Viaplay of Arsenal’s performance.

Arsenal captain Odegaard scored the winning goal in the derby (Picture: Reuters)

The Gunners went level with City at the top with the victory (Picture: Matt Impey/Shutterstock)

‘We talked about predictions before the game, this is what I’ve seen in the first two games.

‘No other team has that kind of work-rate, organised work-rate, and also the ability to do it.

‘It’s one thing organising yourself in doing it, the other thing is having the energy and you could see as the game progressed with the substitutions, you don’t see a difference. It’s the same thing.’

Schmeichel went on to highlighted Odegaard’s vital importance to Arsenal, stating: ‘My God, how good is he? For me, he was the best player on the pitch.

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‘Of course, we are seeing, we are noticing, what kind of player we like.

‘This guy… what he does for this team is just so impressive. He’s technically so good.

‘What he sees, nobody else sees that. Take him out of Arsenal’s team and it’s very, very difficult to see what would happen then.

‘I don’t think there’s a team in the country that has a player of that quality.’

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Schmeichel’s Viaplay colleague and former team-mate Jaap Stam was also mightily impressed by Arsenal’s showing against a team many have been tipping as potential title contenders.

The ex-United and Netherlands centre-back was especially glowing with his praise for Havertz, suggesting the German had ‘proven’ his doubters wrong.

‘In the past, people were asking whether he’s the ideal number nine,’ Stam said.

Havertz has ‘proven’ his doubters wrong at Arsenal, says Jaap Stam (Picture: Getty)

‘Well I think he’s proven very much that he’s a top-class player and very important for this Arsenal side.

‘Mikel Arteta of course wants to have a striker, a number nine, who can drop into certain areas to link up with other players in the midfield, with Odegaard, or on the side with the wingers.

‘Havertz is one of the best players to do so in this squad and he played a tremendous game.’

Arsenal kick off their Champions League campaign at Serie A giants Napoli on Wednesday night before returning to top-flight action with a tough away trip at Sunderland next weekend.

Chelsea, meanwhile, face high-flying Hull in their next Premier League contest.

First, though, Alonso’s men do battle with Leeds in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

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^ ^ Rio Ferdinand disagrees with Michael Carrick decision after Man Utd draw with Everton

Michael Carrick has had a sticky start to the season as Manchester United manager (Picture: Shutterstock)

Rio Ferdinand does not think Michael Carrick is picking the right centre-backs after Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw at Everton.

The Red Devils continued a mixed start to the season with the draw at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, twice taking the lead and twice being pegged back.

Benjamin Sesko looked like he had headed in the winner on 88 minutes, but a stunning Ainsley Maitland-Niles strike levelled for the Toffees six minutes into injury time.

That means it is just four points from United’s first three games, the other two of which have been against newly-promoted sides Hull City and Ipswich Town.

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Carrick’s team has conceded six goals in three league games and Ferdinand thinks he is not getting it right at centre-back, suggesting Leny Yoro or Ayden Heaven should be in the starting XI.

At Everton and against Ipswich, both were on the bench as Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez started in the heart of defence.

Ferdinand accepts that Yoro has not progressed as much as hoped since signing from Lille in 2024, but either he or Heaven should be in the backline for their pace.

Leny Yoro has only made substitute appearances this season so far (Picture: Getty Images)

‘We bought Yoro. We bought Heaven. Yoro I thought he would be a bit further ahead than he is now, he’s taken a little bit longer to push up that ceiling and fulfil that potential. I think it’s still going to come, but I think it’s been slower than anticipated, 100 per cent,’ the former United star said on Rio Ferdinand Presents.

‘Heaven, I think he could play now, but the manager’s making a choice and decision and he wants to go with what he’s got, but I would always have one of those two in the backline just for pace at this level, 100 per cent.

‘There’s players in the building at centre-half, there’s five players there. Obviously [Mathijs] De Ligt’s not fit.’

Ayden Heaven started against Hull City in the first game of the season (Picture: REUTERS)

Gary Neville sees Manchester United’s defence as a huge issue, but disagrees with Ferdinand on Carrick’s options at centre-back.

He does not think he has ‘much behind’ the starting pair of Maguire and Martinez and has questioned why Carrick made changes at full-back during the game at Everton.

‘Manchester United are conceding two goals a game. From a United perspective you cannot concede two goals a game,’ he said on the Gary Neville Podcast.

‘This liability of conceding goals, I don’t think it’s going to go away and that is my big fear, I don’t think it’s going to go away. I think conceding goals is going to chase them and hunt them down the road.

‘I don’t know how Michael deals with it because he’s got his best back four on the pitch.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored a brilliant late equaliser for Everton (Picture: Getty Images)

‘I don’t know why Luke Shaw went off with five minutes to go, hopefully he’s not injured. I don’t know why Dalot went off with five minutes to go. I’ve seen it twice now, both of them have come off in two games.

‘To be fair, Ruben Amorim and Erik ten Hag used to change their back four a lot as well. You can’t be changing your back four.

‘If you’ve got [Arsenal’s Piero] Hincapie to come on for [Riccardo] Calafiori, maybe you can. But Manchester United have got a back four of Shaw, Dalot, Maguire and Lisandro Martinez and they’ve not got much behind that.

‘So you can’t really change your back four at 1-0 or 2-1. It’s not ideal and that is a concern.’

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