Real Madrid dominate UEFA’s Fans’ Team of the Year 2017 with five players in the XI but there is no space for Neymar despite the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s status as the world’s most expensive player.
Madrid became the first club to retain the European Cup in the Champions League era in June of last year when they beat Juventus 4-1 in Cardiff. A poll of users on UEFA.com picked Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Marcelo among the best players of last year.
Italian champions Juve — beaten finalists for a second time in three years — are represented by veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and defender Giorgio Chiellini.
Lionel Messi is the sole representative of Barcelona. His former teammate Dani Alves is also selected, but Neymar — who left Barcelona for PSG in a world-record €222 million move in the summer — was not among the names to make the cut following almost 8.8 million votes being cast.
Neymar’s move was sparked in part because of his man-of-the-match display in Barca’s stunning 6-1 win over PSG in the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie, which the French began with a 4-0 aggregate lead.
⚽️? #TeamOfTheYear ? ⚽️
Introducing your 2017 all-star XI after a record 8.8m votes! pic.twitter.com/MTpF7U37Yz— Team of the Year 2017 (@ChampionsLeague) January 11, 2018
Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and Chelsea forward Eden Hazard represent the Premier League, becoming the first two Belgium players to ever make the selection.
The players were selected from a shortlist of 50 selected by UEFA “on the basis of players’ performances for a European club or national team in UEFA competitions during the 2017 calendar year.”
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