Spain Dominates UEFA's First Team of the Week for Champions League 2026/27

UEFA’s first “team of the week” for the 2026/27 Champions League has dropped, and Spain’s fingerprints are all over it.

Three Spaniards make the XI: Marc Bartra, Pau Torres and Ferran Torres. Add in Raphinha flying the flag for Barcelona and Thibaut Courtois standing tall for Real Madrid, and La Liga’s influence — past and present — is hard to miss.

Courtois back under the lights

In goal, UEFA’s Technical Observers Group went with Thibaut Courtois, rewarded for a commanding display in Real Madrid’s win over Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu. He faced eight shots and turned away seven of them, a reminder that when the Champions League anthem plays, Courtois usually follows with a statement performance.

Bartra and Pau Torres boss the back line

The back four has a distinctly Iberian core. Sergiño Dest (PSV) and Archie Brown (Fenerbahçe) take the full-back slots, but it’s the Spanish centre-backs who set the tone.

Marc Bartra, described in UEFA’s report as Betis’ “defensive leader”, anchored their back line in Lille with the kind of authority that comes from years at the top level. He dominated in the air and timed his interventions smartly — and then there were the goals. Two headed finishes, both crucial, as Betis marked their return to the Champions League with a victory that felt bigger than just three points.

Alongside him in the ideal XI, Pau Torres delivered a complete performance for Aston Villa against Club Brugge. He “had a significant impact at both ends of the pitch”, and the numbers back that up: eight clearances, the most in the match, inside his own area, plus four chances created and two assists going forward. A centre-back dictating the game in both boxes is rare; Torres did exactly that as Villa imposed themselves in Europe.

Odegaard pulls strings, Baturina breaks through

In midfield, Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) and Martin Baturina (Como) occupy the creative roles. Odegaard’s inclusion underlines his status as one of the competition’s premier playmakers, while Baturina’s presence signals a breakout moment on the biggest stage. Between them, they form the bridge between a solid back line and a ruthless front four.

Raphinha leads, Ferran explodes

Up front, the team of the week is loaded.

Michael Olisé (Bayern) and Ermedin Demirovic (Stuttgart) join two standout performers from Spain’s elite: Raphinha and Ferran Torres.

Raphinha, now Barcelona captain, produced the sort of all-action display that wears down opponents and lifts teammates. Against Feyenoord in that 5–1 win, he “led the press with impressive intensity”, constantly harassing defenders, driving in behind, and drifting between the lines to unbalance the Dutch side. He crowned it all with two “magnificent goals”, the kind of ruthless finishing that turns a strong performance into a statement.

On the other flank, Ferran Torres lit up Paris. In PSG colours, he struck his first hat-trick for the club against Slovan Bratislava. UEFA’s report highlights not just his composure in front of goal, but the intelligence that underpinned it: “excellent movement” and an uncanny knack for arriving “in the right place at the right time”. It wasn’t just a scoring spree; it was a clinic in modern forward play.

A Spanish surge as the campaign begins

So the first matchday closes with Courtois in goal, Bartra and Pau Torres marshalling the defence, Raphinha driving Barcelona’s attack and Ferran Torres erupting for PSG. Five names, five very different roles, one clear message: Spanish talent is shaping the early narrative of this Champions League season.

If this opening week is any indication, the road to the 2026/27 final will keep running through them.