Cristiano Ronaldo nominated for UEFA Team of the Year for 17th straight season

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated for the UEFA Team of the Year for the 17th straight season.

UEFA announced the 50-man shortlist on Tuesday, and Cristiano Ronaldo is a part of the list that is dominated by Bayern Munich players.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both in the running for the UEFA Team of the Year

Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have both been nominated

Cristiano Ronaldo joins supposed rival Lionel Messi in the shortlist, with Bayern Munich understandably well-represented.

The Bundesliga giants completed the treble last season, and the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Joshua Kimmich, Alphonso Davies and Thomas Muller are among the players nominated.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been included in the final line-up 14 times and will hope that he extends that record this time around.

UEFA Fans’ #TeamOfTheYear is back! 🥳5️⃣0️⃣ stars compete for YOUR vote 👊Who will you put in your top 11 of 2020? 🤔 🔻🔻 PICK NOW! 🔻🔻

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 1, 2020

The 35-year-old did not enjoy the best of spells in Europe last season, with his Juventus side crashing out of the UEFA Champions League after a 2-2 aggregate draw against Ligue 1 side Lyon in the Round of 16.

However, Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals in eight games in the Champions League last season, finishing with 37 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions.

It will be a tough fight for Ronaldo to make it to the UEFA Team of the Year, with attackers like Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah all nominated.

Last season's Champions League finalists, Paris Saint-Germain, have also been well-represented, with Keylor Navas, Juan Bernat, Marquinhos, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe among the players in the running for a spot in the team.

Ultimately, it will be down to the fans as it is up to them to choose the formation as well as the players. Given Cristiano Ronaldo's immense popularity, he certainly stands a chance at featuring in the team.

This season, the Portugal international has once again been in fine form. In seven appearances, he has scored nine goals, and his importance to Juventus was made apparent when he missed three weeks of football after testing positive for COVID-19.

Juventus have not won any of their three Serie A matches without Cristiano Ronaldo this season 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/ZxaH4nlaJu

— Goal (@goal) November 30, 2020

His return to the side immediately saw an uptick in form, and Juventus is clearly a better side with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line.

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