Real Madrid wonderkid among best rated Champions League debutants

It's officially the business stage of the season, as we build up to the Champions League knockout stage kicking off on Tuesday. So much has changed since the group stages ended at the start of December and it can be easy to forget what exactly happened during six whirlwind matchdays across eight groups.

Last season's semi-finalists Ajax fell at the group stage hurdle and were joined by Inter, who finished third behind Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund in the group of death. Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski remarkably only needed six group games to equal his best ever haul in a Champions League campaign (10 goals).

However, not everyone had Champions League experience under their belt. Atalanta, for example, celebrated their first ever Champions League campaign with a second place finish in Group C behind Manchester City. In doing so, Atalanta became the first side in Champions League history to qualify for the next round after losing their first three games.

There have of course also been Champions League debuts for players this season. Erling Haaland scored in each of his first five appearances in the competition to earn a high profile move from Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund last month and he will make his debut for the Bundesliga outfit in the competition when they face Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. What other players can hold their heads high from their first Champions League campaign? Here is the top WhoScored rated XI of Champions League debutants.

Goalkeeper: Ondrej Kolar (Slavia Prague) - 7.01 rating

Slavia Prague unsurprisingly finished bottom of a group containing Barcelona, Dortmund and Inter but they came out of it with an enhanced reputation. Prague picked up two points with draws away at Inter and Barcelona. Goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar was kept busy for prolonged periods, making the fourth most saves in the group stage (26).

Right-back: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich) - 7.31 rating

It's remarkable to think Benjamin Pavard was a World Cup winner before he made his Champions League debut. He even scored one of the best goals in the competition's history before turning out in the Champions League. Pavard started every match for Bayern Munich in the group stage and registered two assists, only one fewer than he has managed in 21 league appearances this term.

Centre-back: Fikayo Tomori (Chelsea) - 7.15 rating

Fikayo Tomori has come a long way in a short space of time. It wasn't long ago he scored an own goal against Chelsea during a loan spell at Derby and now he is a regular for his boyhood club and has an outside chance of making England's squad for Euro 2020. Tomori made four appearances in the group stage and even registered a crucial assist in their 2-1 win away to Lille.

Centre-back: Joachim Andersen (Lyon) - 7.22 rating

Joachim Andersen has endured something of a mixed season for Lyon. It was thought he would be a guaranteed signing following his move from Sampdoria in the summer but it hasn't quite gone that way. The 23-year-old was, however, a regular in the group stage starting four of their six games. A return of 6.8 clearances per game ranks in the top five in the competition this season. Andersen even scored on his second appearance in the competition.

Left-back: Konstantinos Tsimikas (Olympiacos) - 7.22 rating

Olympiacos fell at the group stage hurdle but certainly gave a decent account of themselves. They drew with Tottenham, gave them a nervy contest in the return fixture, and also ran Bayern Munich close at home. Daniel Podence has earned a move to Wolves off the back of their campaign, while Konstantinos Tsimikas was another standout performer for the Greek side. A return of 2.3 dribbles per game was bettered by just one defender in the groups.

Right wing: Rodrygo (Real Madrid) - 7.91 rating

Rodrygo was a revelation in the Champions League group stage for Real Madrid and it's a shame he hasn't managed to kick on since then. The 19-year-old scored four goals and provided two assists in four appearances in Group A. He became the second youngest player in Champions League history to score a hat-trick, doing so in Madrid's 6-0 win over Galatasaray. He earned a WhoScored 10 rating in the process - one of only nine players to manage the feat in the group stage this season.

Central midfield: Alejandro Gomez (Atalanta) - 7.34 rating

With Juventus sniffing around for Alejandro Gomez, the Argentine could have made his Champions League bow a few years ago but admirably decided to stay at Atalanta and fire them into Europe's elite competition instead. After a disasterous start to their group stage campaign, Atalanta even managed to qualify for the knockout phase. Gomez scored once and registered one assist in six games and the 31-year-old managed 2.2 dribbles per game and 2 key passes per game.

Central midfield: Tomas Soucek (Slavia Prague) - 7.35 rating

After a couple of impressive Europa League campaigns, Tomas Soucek finally got to experience the Champions League proper this season with Slavia Prague and his performances culminated in a move to West Ham in the January transfer window. The 24-year-old scored half of Slavia Prague's goals in Group F (2/4) and ranked in the top-10 in the competition for most aerial duels won per game (4).

Left wing: Dani Olmo (Dinamo Zagreb) - 7.49 rating

After dazzling during Spain's U21 European Championship-winning campaign in the summer, it was a surprise Dinamo Zagreb managed to keep Dani Olmo until January. Six group stage displays were enough for RB Leipzig to take a punt on the 21-year-old last month. He scored twice, once against Manchester City in Dinamo Zagreb's final group game, and provided one assist.

Striker: Erling Haaland (Salzburg) - 7.45 rating

Despite the fact two of Erling Haaland's six appearances came from the bench, only Robert Lewandowski scored more times than the 19-year-old (8) in the group stage. Haaland staggeringly scored in each of his first five group stage appearances to quickly earn the reputation as the best young striker in the world. There was interest from some of the biggest clubs on the continent in January but the teenager opted to join Borussia Dortmund.

Striker: Hwang Hee-Chan (Salzburg) - 7.69 rating

Salzburg almost lost their entire attack line last month, as Wolves reportedly pursued a deal for Hwang Hee-Chan. The 24-year-old played a direct hand in six goals in as many group stage appearances but Salzburg managed to hold on to the South Korea international in the end. Haaland's departure was bad enough but losing Hee-Chan would have been a hammer blow for the Austrian outfit.