Picking the outright brightest star is never easy, and sometimes blinding. It was an action packed weekend where titles were won, legends retired, and some teams secured safety from relegation.  

The final shortlist for #SOTW included…

Cristiano Ronaldo (Malaga – Real Madrid**) {Spanish La Liga)} – for scoring an early match winning goal for Real Madrid that elevated their title winning odds and killing any nerves that could have crept into the team.

Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool** – Middlesbrough) {Premier League} – for scoring the insurance goal to calm the nerves of Liverpool and see them clinch a place in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League

Harry Kane (Hull City – Tottenham Hotspur**) {Premier League}  – for scoring to give Tottenham an undefeated home record in 2016/17 Premier League season and ending their time at White Hart Lane with a victory.  

Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid** – Athletic Club) {Spanish La Liga} – for contributing two goals to help Atletico end their tenure at Estadio Vicente Calderon on a high with a victory.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund** – Werder Bremen) {German Bundesliga} – scoring two goals in the final match of the season to help Borussia Dortmund finish the season with a victory while finishing as the season’s top goalscorer.

But the SOTW will have to go to

Gian-Luca Waldschmidt

(Hamburger SV** – Wolfsburg) {German Bundesliga}

Coming on as a second-half substitute in just two minutes before, his late goal in the 88th-minute saved Hamburger SV from having to go into relegation playoff at Wolfsburg expense. A title might not come with this victory, but it sure feels just as good if you are a Hamburger SV supporter.