This week saw the first matchday of the group stage of the 2025-2026 Champions League (find all the results here). UEFA then launched various fan voting initiatives. Paris Saint-Germain, who won 4-0 against Atalanta at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, is not among the nominees for Player of the Week. The contenders are Dusan Vlahovic (25-year-old striker for Juventus), Marcus Thuram (28-year-old striker for Inter Milan), Marcus Rashford (27-year-old forward for FC Barcelona), and Francisco Trincão (25-year-old forward for Sporting Portugal).
It might seem surprising that PSG, who have been so impressive as a team, especially with the performances of Nuno Mendes (the 23-year-old left-back) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (the 24-year-old forward), aren’t on this list. But that’s the way it is; apparently, scoring a brace was a prerequisite, as that’s the common factor among the four nominees. We can understand why that plays a big role, even though there are other aspects to football.
However, they certainly deserve to be considered. Competition is always fierce in the Champions League, and other players not on this list, including those from PSG, also had a strong case.
