Steffane Ruffier (Saint-Etienne)
Christophe Galtier's team have had a fantastic month in Ligue One, but Saint-Etienne aren't the only side within France in good form. Both Lyon and Lille have earned 16 points from their last six domestic games, although Les Verts have done it without the opposition scoring.
They have now not conceded a goal since Guingamp netted two against them in the middle of February, as Ajaccio, Troyes, Bastia, Lorient and Toulouse have all failed to score past Steffane Ruffier.
He stretched his clean sheet run to six games, despite only managing two in the 14 matches prior. The 29-year-old goalkeeper can thank his teammates for their exceptional work-rate and defensive discipline, although he certainly deserves the individual accolades.
Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid)
The Spanish right-back has been rotated by Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, with Danilo starting four matches in the month. His time in Germany has certainly helped him become a more rounded player, although the sizeable transfer fee for his Brazilian rival means he will have to continue to prove his worth.
However, the fact that he was selected for El Clasico and the Champions League semi-final with Manchester City suggests that Carvajal is now the Frenchman's first choice. Los Blancos have only conceded two goals in the five matches that he has played, whilst Carvajal has developed a good relationship with Gareth Bale ahead of him.
He recovered the ball nine times, made five interceptions and a block in the 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
Wes Morgan (Leicester City)
The Leicester City captain has been pivotal for the newly crowned Premier League champions throughout their outstanding campaign, although in the last five weeks he has also contributed at the other end of the pitch.
His header against Manchester United gave Claudio Ranieri's men a well-earned point at Old Trafford, whilst it was his goal that gave them a 1-0 win over Southampton.
Morgan is excellent at blocking and intercepting the ball, as he uses his ability to position himself rather than make tackles. This has meant that the centre-back has received just three cautions in the league this term, whilst he has formed a remarkable partnership with Robert Huth.
He made four tackles and three interceptions against Man United, and completed all nine of his clearances in the 2-0 win over Sunderland.
Daniele Rugani (Juventus)
The 21-year-old has been a revelation since he made his full debut for the club last December, after he spent two seasons with Empoli, when he helped them get promoted to Serie A.
Rugani is a physical centre-back who's good aerially in defensive and attacking scenarios, whilst he uses his anticipation to read the game. The injury to Giorgio Chiellini has seen the youngster's influence steadily grow, to the extent that he played 90 minutes in all five of Juventus’ games in April, which saw them seal a fifth straight title.
He recovered the ball 10 times and completed the most passes in the 2-1 win at Milan, before making three interceptions and four tackles in the 4-0 victory over Palermo.
Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid)
Luis has enjoyed yet another spectacular period, with Atletico Madrid enjoying wins over Athletic Club, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. The left-back assisted Angel Correa’s winner against Malaga, whilst he completed five tackles and four interceptions in a defensive capacity.
Atleti’s resilience and ability to grind out results has been illustrated in the last five matches, as they have not conceded a goal against some of Europe’s top sides. In direct competition with Lionel Messi and Douglas Costa he performed fantastically, as he neutralised their attacking assault and provided his own forward threat.
At the Vicente Calderon, in the first leg victory over Pep Guardiola’s team, he completed four take-ons, seven tackles and nine ball recoveries in a superb display.
Radja Nainggolan (Roma)
The Chelsea transfer target has excelled recently for Roma, with incoming Stamford Bridge manager Antonio Conte expected to make the Belgian international his first signing this summer.
Nainggolan is a fine midfield all-rounder due to his balance of finesse in possession and his defensive contribution. He scored in games with Atalanta and Napoli, but was also vital in Roma losing only three times in the last 22 matches in all competitions.
As those defeats were against Real Madrid (twice) and Juventus, the team have clearly improved under the tutelage of Luciano Spalletti. The flexible midfielder created four chances in the derby with Lazio and completed four tackles in the close encounter with Torino.
Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid)
Niguez is proving to be a big game player, as he combines his tactical restraint with the capability to pull off unique finishes. The utility player is predominately a holding-midfielder, although Diego Simeone likes to use him in a wide position so that Atletico can maintain a compact unit.
He has all the characteristics to be either an exceptional defensive midfielder or a centre-back, but his dribbling ability and energy ensures that he will be deployed elsewhere for now. The former Rayo Vallecano player has been on the radar of Europe’s top clubs for a while, though he will unlikely move anywhere as he can currently realise his ambitions in Madrid.
“I was dribbling the ball forward, I saw that I’d gone past two opponents and, as I came into the area, I got it onto my left foot to score,” said Niguez when talking about his wonder goal against Bayern.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
The Portuguese sensation couldn’t have got off to a better start in April, as he netted the winner in El Clasico. However, he missed the 0-0 draw with Manchester City and the 1-0 win over Real Sociedad because of injury.
Ronaldo scored and assisted two against Eibar, provided a hat-trick for a Champions League comeback versus Wolfsburg and another in the 5-1 thrashing of Getafe. Real Madrid have managed 17 goals in the month with the winger on the pitch, but only one in the two matches that followed without his amazing finishing pedigree.
They clearly have plenty of world class players within their squad, but they aren’t yet ready for life without Ronaldo.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund)
The Borussia Dortmund playmaker somehow finished up on the losing side at Anfield, as Liverpool came back to win 4-3 in dramatic fashion, but that shouldn’t detract from his overall performance.
Mkhitaryan hasn’t let the disappointment of this result affect his conduct, with two consecutive man-of-the-match displays in games with Hertha Berlin and Stuttgart. He has been a key reason why the Bundesliga title race has lasted until at least the penultimate weekend, when Bayern Munich probably would have expected to the claim the trophy much earlier.
The Armenian international has scored three goals and assisted another six in the month. He can beat players with pace as he showed in the seven take-ons against Stuttgart or he can also glide past opponents through trickery as demonstrated in the three take-ons versus Wolfsburg.
Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen)
Bayer Leverkusen are finishing the campaign in style and could be one of the surprise packages in next season’s Champions League. Roger Schmidt’s pressing ideology has helped his team to six wins on the bounce, as they have conceded only three goals from the last eight matches in all competitions.
Brandt became the the youngest player since Gerd Muller to score in six consecutive matches, when he finished 72 seconds into the 2-1 home win over Hertha Berlin at the weekend.
The recently turned 20-year-old has the world at his feet if he continues to progress in the same manner. His abundance of talent means that a senior call-up to the German national team can’t be too far away.
Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
Many will have expected Luis Suarez to lead the line in this month’s Stats Zone team, after all the Uruguayan did score four goals in a match twice and 11 goals in total.
However, he failed to net in the decisive matches with Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia. Griezmann on the other hand was the difference when Los Rojiblancos overcame Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
The Frenchman’s speed on the counter-attack has seen the former Real Sociedad winger become one of the most accomplished strikers in Europe. His six-goal contribution is a very good return, as Atleti played nine games in 29 days.
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