European Team of the Season: Mbappé, Bellingham, Kane star

Every week, we will bring you the best performers across Europe’s top five leagues (English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Spanish LaLiga, French Ligue 1 and Italian Serie A) using the unique WhoScored ratings system.

The ratings are based on a comprehensive algorithm that uses Opta data during live matches, with more than 200 raw statistics, that gives us a single rating from 1-10 (1 being bad; 10 being excellent) weighted according to a player’s influence within a game.

Find out more about how the ratings are calculated at WhoScored here. Here are the top players from across the whole season.

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Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG | Ligue 1) – 7.14

PSG conceded just 33 league goals this season, and Donnarumma made 3.7 saves per 90 minutes in 2023-24. The Italy international also kept a clean sheet in 10 of his 25 outings.

Right-back: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich | Bundesliga) – 7.13

Injuries saw Kimmich (who is usually a midfielder) shine at right-back in the final months of the season. While Bayern were unable to defend their Bundesliga crown, Kimmich impressed on the ball and returned a success rate of 91.3% from 81.7 passes per 90.

Centre-back: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool | Premier League) – 7.15

Van Dijk was imperious at the heart of the Liverpool backline this season. The Reds were only able to send head coach Jürgen Klopp off with a Carabao Cup winners’ medal in the German’s final campaign at Anfield, but Van Dijk excelled and returned the best aerial challenge success rate (81.4%) in the Premier League.

Centre-back: Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino | Serie A) – 7.14

Torino boasted the fourth-best defensive record in Serie A this season, with Buongiorno excelling off the ball. The defender had the third-best tackle success rate (87.5%) in Italy’s top tier and made more interceptions (69) than any other player in the division.

Left-back: Álex Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen | Bundesliga) – 7.58

Has Grimaldo been the greatest free transfer in Bundesliga history? The full-back is one of only seven players to have registered double figures for goals (10) and assists (13) in Europe’s top five leagues — the latter the second-best return. The 28-year-old also ranked top for key passes by defenders (78).

Right midfield: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal | Premier League) – 7.67

Saka enjoyed his most-prolific campaign to date and ended the campaign with 16 league goals to his name. The Arsenal winger also laid on an additional nine assists, coming from 91 key passes, which rank sixth across Europe’s top five leagues this season.

Central midfield: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid | La Liga) – 7.81

After his €103m summer move from Dortmund, Bellingham took to the rigors of LaLiga like a duck to water. The Real Madrid midfielder ended the season with 19 goals and six assists to his name, while only Lucas Ocampos (33) won possession in the attacking third more than the 20-year-old (29) in Spain‘s top tier.

Central midfield: Rodri (Manchester City | Premier League) – 7.62

The heartbeat of Manchester City in the middle of midfield, Rodri was once again superb as they claimed the Premier League title. He made more accurate passes (3,359) than any other player in England’s top tier and won possession in the midfield third more times (132) than any other player.

Left midfield: Kylian Mbappé (PSG | Ligue 1) – 7.71

Mbappé is leaving PSG on a free transfer this summer and does so on the back of a campaign that saw him score 27 times and provide an additional seven assists. The 25-year-old had more shots (120) than any other player in Ligue 1 this season.

Striker: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich | Bundesliga) – 7.82

While he couldn’t fire Bayern Munich to Bundesliga glory thanks to the rise of Bayer Leverkusen, Kane enjoyed a fine debut season in Germany. The England striker scored more goals (36) and managed more shots (146) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues this season. He also added eight assists and was directly involved in 46.8% of Bayern’s league goals.

Striker: Serhou Guirassy (VfB Stuttgart | Bundesliga) – 7.73

The star of VfB Stuttgart’s memorable campaign, Guirassy bagged 28 league goals to help them finish second in the Bundesliga. The Guinea forward was consistent in front of goal for Sebastian Hoeness’ side and returned a better conversion rate (30.4%) for his shots than any other player in Germany.