After 124 games and 355 goals, there are only two teams left standing in the European Champions League.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund managed to navigate their way through an intense group stage and six dramatic knock-out stage matches to reach the final, scheduled for May 25 at Wembley.

Since there is still plenty of time to look ahead to the Battle of the Bundesliga, I have decided instead this week to take a look back at what has been an exhilarating season and pick my Most Valuable Player of the competition.

We all know that individuals don’t win trophies on their own, but there is always an elite group of players who are the difference between winning and losing key matches.

In order to pick the best player, I wanted to narrow down my choice by identifying the best team, and as I analyzed some key statistics from this season’s competition, it became clear to me that Bayern were head and shoulders above the rest.

They have the highest number of victories and goals scored, while also boasting the best defense. The Bavarians were particularly impressive over the last two rounds, beating Juventus and Barcelona with aggregate scores of 4-0 and 7-0.

What about Dortmund? Well as entertaining and dynamic as they have been, and as well as Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski have played on the way to the final, I decided my MVP had to be a Bayern player.

So who did I pick? Well, there were a few candidates. At the back, Dante and Philipp Lahm have been outstanding; in midfield, Bastian Schweinsteiger has pulled the strings magnificently; while on the wings, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben have both had moments of brilliance.

However, in my opinion, the MVP of this season’s Champions League has been Thomas Muller.

First of all, let’s look at the numbers. For starters, the 23-year-old is the only outfield player to have played all 12 of Bayern’s games in the competition this season.

He is their top scorer, with eight goals, and contributed two assists. Muller has also covered more distance, 127 km, than any other player on his team.

They say the numbers don’t lie and they definitely tell a story of a player who has been incredibly influential in his side’s run to the final.

Of course statistics are only part of the story and when talking about Muller, one can’t forget about what makes him so special and that is his versatility. After all, this is a player who can play anywhere across the front line. He can line up as a left winger, right winger, attacking midfielder or striker and be equally effective.

It’s not just his high level of skill that allows him to adapt to his different roles, it is also his sophisticated football IQ.

Muller has an excellent sense of positioning and has shown repeatedly he can be at the right place at the right time in key contests.

He is a guy who can show up at the near post to score with a flick, stay on the edge of the area and hit the back of the net with a powerful shot, or pop up at the far post to tap in a cross. Just ask Barcelona…

So there you have it. Thomas Muller is my pick. What do you think? Send us your votes.

With its youth system, strong national team, and financial prudence as well as the entertaining style of football employed by both the country's international side and its top clubs, it's not difficult to understand why Germany has been branded a soccer success.

And it is. Just not as much as we perceive it to be. Yet.

While the march of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund to Wembley has been thrilling to watch, it's too early to tick the box marked "Era of German domination."

Bayern's haul of four European Cups is impressive but Liverpool, A.C.Milan and Real Madrid have all done better. And the Munich giants haven't conquered the continent since 2001.

Only two other German clubs have also won the tournament whereas England has produced five different champions.

In total, German sides have only six titles between them, well behind Italy and England, with 12, and Spain's 13.

Even the much vaunted Die Mannschaft can't claim to be the best ever international team. Their tally of three World Cup victories is impressive, but they last won the event in 1990, almost a quarter of a century ago.

Brazil, France, Italy and Spain have all enjoyed periods of international superiority since then.

However, no-one can equal Germany's record of 12 top-four finishes in World Cups and that consistency is now allied to, arguably, the most exciting crop of young footballers the country has ever produced.

As my CNN colleague Tom McGowan wrote this week, Germany have strength in depth from defense to attack. Manuel Neuer, Matts Hummels, Iklay Gundogan, Mario Gotze, Marco Reus and Thomas Muller, to name but a handful, make national team coach Joachim Low the envy of his peers.

Germany's youth system and the relative buoyancy of its national economy are two key reasons behind their football ascendency. Any talent identification manager will tell you that growing a sport and improving standards is a numbers game. In essence, the more youngsters who play, the more stars you'll end up with.

Germany has tapped into its large Turkish, Polish and African immigrant population. And the scary thing is, it could do better. Being born in the country doesn't automatically entitle you to German citizenship. You have to apply for it.

That process is bound to dissuade some immigrants' children, although plenty still choose to play for Germany rather than the nation where their parents or grandparents are from.

Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira are two examples, although their stock has fallen slightly since their move to Real Madrid. And that's where my point about the economy comes in. Many Spanish football experts I've spoken to this week insist their country's austerity measures are having a negative impact on the clubs. Although the financial weakness of La Liga, Real and Barcelona apart, is not a new thing.

In contrast, Germany is dealing with the global economic downturn better than many other nations and the Bundesliga is one of the best run leagues in the world.

According to accountant Deloitte's reputable Sports Business group, Germany's Bundesliga is only the fourth richest in Europe behind England, Spain and France.

However, it's growing fast. It already has the best attendances of any of its European rivals while revenues for the entire league broke the $2.6 billion barrier for the first time last season.

So that's the reality, but let's return to the perception or, if you like, the X-Factor that German football has always had.

I was amused to see former England striker Gary Lineker's name trending on Twitter during Bayern's first-leg demolition of Barcelona.

It was down to fans poking fun at Barca defender Gerard Piqué who claimed, before the game, that Lineker's famous quote - "Football's a simple game. You play for 90 minutes and then the Germans win" - isn't true any longer.

After a 7-0 aggregate thrashing and the first all-German Champions League final, it's never felt more true.

It used to be a soccer stereotype. A slightly lazy cliche that didn't always bear close scrutiny: Germany always winning at football.

Yet, as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund imperiously brushed aside La Liga's leading clubs in the UEFA Champions League semifinals, the reality is coming close to matching that perception.

We've seen all-Spanish, English and Italian finals in the Champions League. Now, for the first time, a deutsches derby will decide who is the best club side in Europe.

English Premier League footballers have it pretty good. They are rich, famous and idolized by millions of fans around the world.

It would be fair to say they are reaping the rewards of all the work done by English football officials over the last 21 years in making the nation’s top flight the most marketable and profitable soccer product on the planet.

However, as the Luis Suarez case showed this past weekend, the increased money has brought increased scrutiny, and that means players need to realize they have a responsibility to act in a professional manner.

Right now, the English Premier League is broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and has a TV audience of 4.7 billion people.

Those are numbers released by the league itself, which has worked along with TV rights holders BskyB since 1992 to make it the most watched club football competition on the planet.

Every year the coverage has improved and right now every game is televised in HD with the host broadcaster using over 20 cameras to capture every inch of the pitch.

This means players can’t get away with anything. Twenty years ago, I suspect Suarez could have bitten Branislav Ivanovic without ever being caught.

I remember when Vinny Jones squeezed Paul Gascoigne’s genitals during a First Division game back in 1987.

Even though the picture became part of football folklore, there was never any video and there was certainly never an investigation.

I have also spoken with many former players who used all kinds of tactics to disrupt opponents, such as poking or pinching various parts of their bodies when the referee wasn’t looking.

What has happened over the last two decades is that with increased coverage and exposure, players in the world’s top leagues have become accountable for their actions.

Whether they like it not, that is the case. It begs the question, are they educated accordingly by their respective clubs?

Effectively, modern day footballers have become reality TV show characters starring on a global stage with fans judging their every move. That is the price they have to pay for their outrageous wages and luxury lifestyle.

Regarding Suarez, he should have known better. He was caught biting a player in a Dutch League game in November 2010 and served a seven-match ban.

In December 2011 he was banned for eight matches for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. Surely someone at the club has spoken to him about his conduct on the pitch and explained what he can and cannot do and say?

Players around the world should pay attention to the Suarez incident and the punishment surely heading his way. They should realize they have a responsibility to live up to the high expectations which come with being a highly paid superstar.

As this case has shown, nothing they say or do on the pitch will go unnoticed.

Bayern Munich have clinched the Bundesliga title in record time, reached the semifinals of the European Champions League and the German Cup, and yet they are preparing to say goodbye to manager Jupp Heynckes at the end of the season.

Considering how well the Bavarians have done this year, we have to ask, do they really need Pep Guardiola? I say no they don’t.

Whatever way you look at it, Bayern have had an amazing campaign. Domestically, they are on course to set new league records for victories and points.

So far they have won 25 of 29 matches, which means they have a success rate of 86%. Bayern have only conceded 13 goals, meaning their goalkeeper is only beaten once every 2.2 games. By anyone’s standards, those numbers are phenomenal.

Their performances in the Champions League have been just as impressive. Bayern have won seven games, more than any other team, on the way to the final four of the competition. They are second in goals scored and were absolutely irresistible as they demolished Juventus in the quarterfinals.

As good as Bayern’s players are, there is no doubt the manager deserves a lot of the credit for their impressive run of results. Heynckes has rotated the squad magnificently and kept every player motivated throughout the season.

His tactics have worked wonders and he could walk away from the club with an historic treble under his belt.

This leads me to the decision the board made to change managers at the end of the current campaign.

You may have heard they decided to pursue Pep Guardiola in the winter because Heynckes had decided to retire at the end of the season, but there are many sources who say this is not the case.

There may actually have been a miscommunication about what was happening with the veteran manager in June. I have also heard that Heynckes was upset that club directors pursued Pep Guardiola without informing him first.

Whether these rumors are true or not and whatever way you look at it, the question is still a valid one. Do Bayern need Guardiola?

I say they don’t and I’ll justify my position by using a famous phrase from the world of sport: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Right now there is no need for a radical change of course at the club and there was no need to chase Guardiola so aggressively with the team doing so well.

Bayern have made two Champions League finals in the last three years and could play another title game in May.

The project at the club - masterminded by the likes of president Uli Hoeness and CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge - is working, and you know what? I think it is working so well that most competent managers could walk into the Allianz Arena and be successful.

The system is in place and right now the manager is just one part of the puzzle. Since so much work has been done by the board to build such a formidable squad, all the coach has to do is pick the right players and the right tactics for the right games.

So, would the arrival of Guardiola actually disrupt the club’s master plan? We all know how successful Pep was in Barcelona, but Bayern will represent his first test outside of the Camp Nou.

Will he be able to adapt to the club’s philosophy, or will the club have to adapt to his? If it’s the latter, there could be some major turbulence in Munich.

Initially, everything will seem exciting, but if Pep wants to revolutionize the squad and the club’s philosophy, there could be some trouble on the horizon.

The decision late last year by Augusta National to break with tradition and allow its first ever female members has been widely applauded with the general consensus being " about time too!"

Current world No.1 Tiger Woods described the news as "fantastic" while three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson said Condoleezza Rice is one of his favourite people to spend time with.

"Lefty" even played an Augusta practice round with the former U-S Secretary of State who impressed all watching by reportedly sinking a huge 40 foot putt on the very last hole!

Rice - along with South Carolina financier Darla Moore - remain the only female members at the private Augusta National Golf Club - as far as we're aware - and ahead of this year's Masters, club chairman Billy Payne described their joining as a joyous occasion adding "it's just awesome". He added he feels his club is a "beacon in the world of golf".

There's certainly no question that after years of intense focus on the club and its all-male policies –the admittance of two women is very much a step in the right direction but is it enough and will it indeed trigger other iconic venues to see the light of the Augusta beacon and follow suit?

This year's British Open championship venue Muirfield in Scotland for example still doesn't allow women members.

At a packed media press conference on Wednesday I asked Chairman Payne if he felt other clubs should now follow Augusta's lead. He responded that any such move would have to be their own decision while Mickelson declared he doesn't get involved in the "politics" of the game.

Here at Augusta fans out on the course are known as patrons. In truth, while the majority do fully agree it's high time to move on and adapt to the times, I did find a couple of female voices united in their belief that membership issues are down to each individual club.

That said, it's certainly not going to change the growing pressure of that majority to change. In addition to Muirfield - the world governing body of the game outside the USA - The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at Saint Andrews - is also male only.

Since its beginning in 1754, it's simply never had a female member! After almost 260 years - and following the recent example of Augusta - is the time now right for us to even dare to dream of change?

Carles Puyol is out. Javier Mascherano is out. All of a sudden, Barcelona have yet another defensive crisis ahead of a crucial Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain.

At a time when speculation regarding a big money move for Neymar continues to grab the headlines, is signing another forward really a priority at the Camp Nou?

Securing a top defender would be a better investment. Without one, future European campaigns could proves fruitless.

Before arguing the need to bring in another centre back, I will make it clear that I understand how Barcelona play and why they haven’t previously invested a lot of money in bringing in high-profile defenders.

Their football philosophy focuses on keeping the ball as long as possible, and when they lose it winning it back high up the pitch.

Therefore, when selecting a central defender, the priority is to get a great passer, rather than a great tackler.

Look at how the likes of Mascherano, Sergio Busquets and Alex Song have all often been played in defense when they are natural midfielders.

The only proven central defenders Barcelona have right now are Puyol and Gerard Pique and that is simply not good enough for big games against big teams.

We all know how good Puyol has been for Barca, but his best days are behind him, and when Pique is out of form, as he has been this season, the team struggles to keep clean sheets.

This season, Barcelona have already conceded 33 goals in 30 league games, a much higher total than you would expect.

They have been leaking goals at a higher rate than any other table-topping team in Europe’s traditional top leagues.

There is a problem there and Barcelona’s directors and coaching staff should address it.

Over the last couple of seasons the club has brought in a few attacking players, the likes of Ibrahim Affelay and Alex Sanchez, who haven’t made much of an impact. Wouldn’t that money have been better spent on a top defender?

Just imagine if Barcelona would have bought someone like Thiago Silva or Leonardo Bonnucci? How good would they be then?

To be fair, Barcelona did try, once, to bring in a international defender but they didn’t pick the right one.

In 2009, the Catalans signed Dmytro Chygrynskiy from Shakhtar Donetsk, but the Ukrainian stopper failed to settle and a series of injuries meant he was unable to get a long run in the team.

The move backfired and the player was eventually shipped out without ever living up to expectations.

So the issue remains, and while they are still favourites to beat PSG without the likes of Puyol and Mascherano, the question is, if their injury worries continue, can Barcelona lift the trophy this season?

Will a back line without two pure central defenders be good enough to beat Bayern Munich, Borrussia Dortmund, Juventus or Real Madrid?

Having the magical Leo Messi means Barca will always score, but I am not so sure they can keep enough clean sheets to be champions.

How tough is it to win the Champions League? So tough that since the competition's format was changed in 1991, no team has won the trophy in consecutive years.

You may know that the last club to successfully defend its title was AC Milan, and that was a side which had some world class players in its ranks. I am talking about guys like Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Ruud Gullit and Marco Van Basten among others.

As I prepare to interview Gullit on the CNN FC show this week, I decided to take a closer look at all the challenges clubs face in winning the competition these days, and I will tell you what, I don’t think any club will win back-to-back titles any time soon.

The modern Champions League is a lot tougher to win than the old European Cup.

Why? The new format is obviously one of the reasons. With so many clubs from the highest-ranked nations in the group phase draw, the odds are high that contenders will have to face each other early in the competition.

Just look at what happened in Group D this season. We had Real Madrid, Borrussia Dortmund, Ajax and Manchester City battling for two qualifying spots for the knock-out stages.

You compare that situation with what happened two or three decades ago, and you can see the difference very clearly.

The Milan side which won back-to-back titles faced the likes of HJK Helsinki of Finland and Vitosha of Bulgaria in the first round, beating them on aggregate 5-0 and 7-2 respectively.

The other reason I believe no team will be able to win consecutive Champions League trophies is the competition you have out there right now.

There are so many big clubs with big money who can become contenders almost overnight. Look at Chelsea, look at Paris Saint-Germain, look at Zenit St. Petersburg.

These are just three teams who paid top dollar for top talent and went from being pretenders to contenders in the blink of an eye.

If we have a quick look at what could be heading our way in the future, we see that the likes of Monaco in France and Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia now have spending power which could seem them join the Champions League ranks very quickly.

Again, this is a completely different landscape to the one we had in the old European Cup. Every year, you had four or five favorites and perhaps four or five underdogs. That was it.

It was quite uncommon to see teams come out of nowhere to become contenders from one day to the next. And if they did it, then it was because they developed slowly into a solid unit, not because they suddenly acquired talent.

Finally, I believe there are a lot more quality players to choose from now than there were in the old days.

Football is a truly global sport and the Champions League is a truly global competition. According to UEFA, there were 68 nationalities represented in last season’s Champions League and do you know what country had the third most representatives? Brazil.

That never would have happened three or four decades ago. There were fewer talented players to recruit, they were mostly from Europe, and they went to the select few clubs who could afford them.

So you know what? AC Milan’s achievement as the last club to win consecutive trophies is going to last for a while.

Watch the CNN Football Club every Thursday at 1700 GMT and join the the show's social debate on Facebook and Twitter.

Everywhere I look, everyone I talk to, has Bayern Munich as the favorites in an upcoming high-profile European Champions League quarterfinal clash with Juventus.

I honestly can’t believe it. In my book, the Italian giants will not only knock the Bavarians out of the tournament, but they could go on to lift the trophy at Wembley in May.

I have said it for a while and I will say it again: Juventus may be the most underrated team in Europe.

Over the last two seasons, they have lost only six competitive games. In the Champions League this season, "La Vecchia Signora" has yet to lose a single match and the side boasts the best defense in the competition with just four goals conceded in eight matches.

The strength of their defense is the main reason why I believe Juventus are contenders to win this season’s tournament.

You need to have a solid back line to win the competition, and they certainly boast some of the best stoppers in Europe.

Earlier this season I argued that Leonardo Bonucci was the Champions League’s top defender, and whether you agree with me or not, you have to appreciate the class of the defensive line he forms with Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini.

They are a nightmare for most forwards that come up against them and the bad news is that even if you manage to beat the defense, then you still have to find a way to score past goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

The second reason I consider them favorites to knock out Bayern Munich is they have the second best playmaker on the planet.

I would put Barcelona and Spain midfielder Xavi at number one, but Andrea Pirlo isn’t far behind.

We all know what he did at Euro 2012 with Italy but his form with Juventus over the last season and a half also needs to be heralded.

This guy is something special. Without ever huffing and puffing in the center of the park, he is always in the right place at the right time, pulling the strings and setting the tempo for Antonio Conte’s side.

Need a short pass? He’s got it. A long ball? No problem. Pirlo can do it all and he can do it with a high level of efficiency.

He has attempted and completed more passes than anyone else on the team and also leads Juve in assists with three in eight games.

Of course no team is perfect, and if there is one weakness the Italian giants have, then it is the lack of a quality center forward.

Neither Fabio Quagliarella, Alessandro Matri, Sebastien Giovinco nor Mirko Vucinic would feature in the top 10 strikers in the competition.

But you know what? Together, they have all aided their side’s cause and helped Juve score 17 goals, second only to Bayern and Real Madrid.

So underestimate Juventus at your peril. This is a real contender, and the Italians will prove it next month in Munich and Turin.

Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo admitted to being unhappy at Real in September last year, speculation has surrounded the future of the Portuguese star. His form may have been nothing short of miraculous but his Madrid-based ambitions remain plagued with vacillations.

The European Champions League glamor tie with his former club Manchester United has seen this area of unease brought into focus following a spurious report in El Pais that Real would sell Ronaldo if he didn’t commit to a new contract and after former teammate Nemanja Vidic told reporters he wouldn’t be "surprised" by a CR7 return to Old Trafford.

Whether driven by unhappiness in Spain, his love for the English Premier League, or due to stalling contract negotiations at the Santiago Bernabeu, according to some, it seems it is only a matter of time before the 28-year-old goes back to Old Trafford.

So what can we make of this speculation, and should CR7 move back to the club which made him a superstar? Let’s talk about the speculation first.

I know for a fact Ronaldo is regularly in touch with Alex Ferguson. He told me so when we met up last November in Madrid. I also know that his agent, Jorge Mendes, has a good relationship with Fergie and believes a return back to Old Trafford would improve his client’s brand and commercial revenue.

Mourinho: Whole world will stop to watch

The truth is Mendes and Ronaldo have become tired of all the infighting at Real Madrid and both of them believe all the negative energy around the club has affected the player’s image.

A return to United would allow Ronaldo to have more emotional support and also increase his chances of winning some of the individual awards he craves. After all, the Premier League is the highest profile domestic league on the planet.

So what would need to happen for a deal to be done? Well, United would have to make a bid that Real Madrid could not refuse.

I would say giving up Nani, David De Gea and around $80 million would get the conversation started. After that, it would come down to how much Ronaldo really wants to leave and how much he pushes for a transfer.

Having said that, I still don’t think the winger will move at the end of the season. It is my belief that Jose Mourinho will exit the Santiago Bernabeu come May, a move that will relieve some of the tension around the club. But Ronaldo will stick around for at least one more campaign.

He would like to be part of the club’s history and beat a few more records before turning his back on Madrid. I also think he doesn’t want to leave while Leo Messi is still considered a better and more successful player than he is.

So onto the second part of the question I asked earlier, should he leave at the end of the season? No, I honestly don’t think there is any rush to go back to Old Trafford.

His form at Real is incredible, his goalscoring stats are amazing, and he should make sure he leaves on good terms. Forcing a move in a few months' time would only leave a sour taste in the mouth of everyone in Madrid and tarnish his legacy at the most famous club on the planet.

My advice to Cristiano would be to stay for another season and then leave in 2014 when there is a year left on his contract.

Go back to Manchester when he is 29 and enjoy another three or four years working with Ferguson, before the great old man of football retires, in the Premier League.

This week on The CNN Football Club show, we are welcoming one of the greatest defenders of all time - Marcel Desailly.

As I started to prepare topics of discussion with my star guest, who won two Champions League titles, the 1998 World Cup and Euro2000, I decided that it would be a good idea to write about the top center-backs in the Champions League this season. In other words, just like Desailly had inspired Olympique Marseille and AC Milan during the '90s, which top stoppers could do the same for their respective clubs during the current campaign?

My shortlist includes Leonardo Bonucci of Juventus, Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels and Pepe of Real Madrid.

Bonucci is imperious. Juventus have recorded four straight clean sheets in the Champions League, and this gentleman is a big reason for that. I have had the pleasure of watching the 25-year-old at various times at stadiums around Europe and he has always impressed me with his positioning and tackling, but especially with his ability to play the ball from the back.

Ask Marcel Desailly your questions

This is a modern defender who does not have to use his size to impose himself on a game. Bonucci glides along the back line waiting for the right moment to intercept play, and then always knows where and how to start an attacking move.

Hummels is a similar kind of player. He has good technique and enjoys spraying the ball around, fitting perfectly in Jurgen Klopp’s system at Dortmund.

If there is one attribute that sets him apart from his teammates it is his command of air space. This is where the 24-year-old makes his mark. The Germany international uses his large frame well in both boxes, winning most defensive headers while also showing an ability to score important goals.

He may be young but Hummels displays great maturity, knowing exactly where to position himself in order to influence play. He is a product of Bayern Munich’s academy, and the Bavarians must be kicking themselves for allowing this star player to leave.

If there is one word to describe Pepe then it is probably extreme.

To be honest, one year ago I would never have picked him as one of the best defenders in the world. He was brash, crass and quite simply, too aggressive.

Pepe was a beast that often got out of control and ended up hurting not only opposing players but also his team’s aspirations with untimely red cards. However, the 30-year-old has grown and in my opinion has been one of the top players in this season’s Champions League.

The Portugal international can do it all. He is a great tackler, header and passer of the ball and rarely makes a mistake. Even when he does, his pace allows him to recover in time and break up play in key moments of games. Pepe has been by far Real Madrid’s best defender this season, with Sergio Ramos suffering from inconsistent form.

Trust me, if Real knock out Manchester United, then the 30-year-old Pepe will have a lot to do with it. He is capable of controlling Robin Van Persie in the second leg at Old Trafford next week.

So which of these center-backs do I pick as the best and most influential?

Bonucci. Juventus are my dark horse pick to win the Champions League and Bonucci is a big reason for that. He has played every minute of every game so far, and with Giorgio Chiellini he forms an intimidating wall protecting Gianluigi Buffon’s goal.

This may be Bonucci’s first Champions League campaign, but you would never know it, looking at his performances on the pitch. If there is one statistic that shows how composed he is, it’s the fact he only picked up only one booking in seven games.

So, watch out for Bonucci and watch out for Juventus; forces to be reckoned with in Europe’s top club competition.