Despite there being a number of surprise trophy winners around the continent, some familiar faces were still the star performers for their clubs
With the domestic European season having come to an end, Goal has selected our best XI from the top five leagues during the 2020-21 campaign…Getty ImagesGK: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)
Luis Suarez may have grabbed the headlines when it came to Atletico Madrid's La Liga triumph, but in reality few players did more to ensure the title was won than Oblak.
No goalkeeper made more than his 103 saves in the Spanish top flight in 2020-21, with the Slovenia international keeping out 80 per cent of the shots on target he faced.
In total he conceded just 25 goals in 38 league appearances, keeping a league-high 18 clean sheets in the process.
He also saved two penalties, while his stunning stop to deny Lionel Messi when Atleti faced Barcelona in May was arguably the crucial moment in the run in for both sides.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Achraf Hakimi (Inter)
Eyebrows were raised when Real Madrid accepted just €40 million (£36m/$45m) from Inter for Hakimi's signing in the summer of 2020, and during his first season at San Siro he illustrated exactly why.
Playing as a wing-back in Antonio Conte's favoured 3-5-2 formation, the ex-Borussia Dortmund loanee was excellent for the Nerazzurri, scoring and providing goals in almost equal measure.
He ended the Serie A campaign with seven goals, eight assists and having won two penalties as Inter ran away at the top of the league to claim their first Scudetto since 2010.
The 22-year-old also performed admirably in his defensive duties, winning over 60 per cent of his tackles and in excess of 50 per cent of his duels.
Unfortunately for Inter fans, it seems like his stay in Milan will only be a short one, with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich reportedly keen to take advantage of the Italian champions' concerning financial situation and prise him away this summer.
Getty ImagesCB: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
When Manchester City fans look back on the 2020-21 campaign in years to come, they will remember it for the emergence of their new defensive leader.
Questions were asked when City parted with £62 million ($79m) to sign Dias from Benfica, but the Portugal international has answered them in stunning fashion as his performances earned him the FWA Footballer of the Year prize.
No defender kept more Premier League clean sheets than the 24-year-old (15), while his leadership qualities helped bring the best out of John Stones alongside him.
In the Champions League, too, he was a standout, with his performance in defying Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium in City's semi-final victory one of the finest the competition has seen in recent years.
And so while Virgil van Dijk remains the world's outstanding centre-back, when he returns from injury next season he will find a new rival for that accolade not too far behind him.
Getty ImagesCB: Sven Botman (Lille)
Another summer signing who impressed in 2020-21 was Botman, though he cost a fraction of what Hakimi and Dias were bought for.
Lille acquired the Dutchman from Ajax for just €8 million (£7m/$10m), and the 21-year-old proved to be a revelation as Christophe Galtier's side pipped PSG to the Ligue 1 title.
No team in Europe's top five leagues conceded fewer than Lille's 23 league goals, with Botman on the field for 20 of their 21 clean sheets – a league high among outfield players.
He won more than two-thirds of both his tackles and duels across the course of the Ligue 1 campaign, with his performances earning him links to Liverpool among a host of other top-level European clubs.
Somewhat strangely, he has been left out of the Netherlands' squad for Euro 2020 this summer, but that should not take away from what was one of the best debut campaigns anywhere on the continent this year.