Champions League 2017-18: 10 breakout stars
By Adam Stocker
8. Arkadiusz Milik – Napoli
Arkadiusz Milik was supposed to have a breakout season last year when he signed with Napoli. The club signed Milik from Ajax for €35 million as a replacement for Gonzalo Higuain, who signed with Juventus. However, the season did not go as planned for Milik or Napoli. While on international duty with Poland, Milik tore his ACL in October, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. In his first season in Naples, Milik played in 23 games, scoring eight goals.
After the injury, Napoli teamed up with dating app Tinder and encouraged fans to message the injured Milik on Tinder to wish him well. After the bizarre promotion, Milik returned to the field in time for the start of the Serie A season. Milik scored in his first game of the season but was subbed off after 61 minutes. Despite only playing 61 minutes, Milik earned strong reviews for his performance.
Milik has good size, has a strong first touch and is a good finisher. The Polish striker will make intelligent runs for Slovakian playmaker Marek Hamsik to deliver through balls for. Milik likes to get the ball onto his left foot and keep defenders on his right shoulder before delivering a powerful strike into the corner.
Napoli have a very good chance of advancing out of the group stage after drawing a group of Manchester City, Feyenoord and Shakhtar Donetsk. However, advancing past the round of 16 will be challenging for the Italian side.