What’s the story?
UEFA has released the User’s Team of the Year and Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann have all found a place in the XI. Voted by the users of UEFA.com, the team is dominated by La Liga players with not a single player from the Premier League making it to the final squad.
Almost 650,000 fans cast nearly 7.2 million votes that decided the team of the year. Champions League winners Real Madrid had four of their own selected.
In case you didn’t know…
Ronaldo had just recently won the Ballon d’Or award with Messi and Griezmann coming second and third respectively. Their inclusion did not come as a surprise. It is curious that no Premier League player has made the team since Gareth Bale in 2011.
The votes came in from all over the world. 48% of the votes came in from Europe, 25 % came in from Asia, while South America and North America accounted for 10% and 9% of the votes. Africa accounted for 7% of the votes while 1% of the votes came in from Oceania.
Heart of the matter
The side was unsurprisingly dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona players along with two players from Juventus, and one each from Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.
Behind the super trio upfront, Madrid pair Toni Kroos and Luka Modric as well as Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta were elected in midfield. In the defence, Los Blancos captain Sergio Ramos and Juventus’ Leonardo Bonucci were named as the full backs. Barcelona’s Gerrard Pique was paired up with Jerome Boateng of Bayern Munich in the heart of the defence. Italian veteran Gianluigi Buffon was voted as the team’s goalkeeper.
Ramos, who received 488,908 votes, was the most voted player. Ronaldo finds his name on the team for a record 11th time.
Here is the full team:
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid).
Sportskeeda’s take
Going by their performances, each of the players’ selection is justified. It is indeed a very strong and balanced line-up and the voters have done a good job. However, one is left to wonder why Luis Suarez or Gareth Bale or Paul Pogba did not make the team.
