Despite a disappointing campaign in La Liga, Real Madrid‘s 2017/18 season will still be branded a success after they secured their third successive Champions League title and fourth in five years.

Zinedine Zidane picked up his ninth trophy in two and a half years as Los Blancos manager when his side overcame a spirited Liverpool team 3-1 in the final in Kiev.

Madrid may not have given the impression of being the best team throughout the tournament but their experience, know-how and sheer individual quality shone through.

As such, there were a few individuals who stood out during their quest for European glory.

Surprisingly though, Gareth Bale‘s heroics in the final weren’t enough for him to make the grade while Sergio Ramos, the villain in Kiev – in Liverpool’s eyes at least – falls short as well.

CRISTIANO RONALDO

No surprise here though. The Champions League is very much Cristiano Ronaldo‘s tournament, he’s made certain of that. The Portuguese superstar has now won Europe’s elite competition a remarkable five times and is its leading goalscorer of all-time with a staggering 115 strikes to his name.

Granted, he wasn’t at his phenomenal best in the final itself, but he top scored with 15 goals in this edition, producing a few sensational displays. His brace away to Juventus in the quarter-finals certainly makes the highlights reel.

Rating – 9/10

MARCELO

Ronaldo aside, Marcelo has arguably been Madrid’s most eye-catching performer. The marauding left-back’s ventures into the final third only seem to increase in frequency and effect. Marcelo has really come to life in the knockout stages of this season’s competition.

The Brazilian made telling impacts, scoring against Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich en route to the final where he set up Bale for what will go down as one of the Champions League’s greatest ever goals.

Rating – 8/10

CASEMIRO

Much to Xavi’s chagrin, Casemiro now has four Champions League winners’ medals and in the process of acquiring the last three, he’s grown into one of the best defensive midfielders in the game.

He’s unsurprisingly made the most tackles in this year’s tournament with 36 while his passing and overall game has progressed exponentially since he first became a mainstay in the line-up under Zidane.

Rating – 8/10

KEYLOR NAVAS

Loris Karius was the goalkeeper who reluctantly commanded the spotlight in the aftermath of the final while at the other end, Keylor Navas had uneventfully delivered another solid performance.

The Costa Rican only has two clean sheets to his name, owing to Madrid’s questionable defending over the course of the tournament but with 32 saves – some of them spectacular – he regularly impressed as his side’s last line of defence. His heroics against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the semi-finals got Madrid to the final in the first place.

Rating – 8/10