Barcelona and Real Madrid players dominate the UEFA’s 2015 team of the year, but only one Juventus player makes it into the line-up despite the Old Lady reaching the Champions League final in Berlin.
No Premier League player got enough votes to be named among the Europe’s elite. Luis Suarez, who played a crucial role in Barcelona’s success in five major competitions last year, also missed out.
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)
The towering goalkeeper got 59% of the votes, and he retains his number 1 position for the third year in a row. The other goalkeepers who need a special mention for their performances over the year – Buffon (Juventus), David de Gea (Manchester United) and Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea).
Dani Alves (Barcelona)
The Brazilian right-back was outstanding throughout the year and was a key player for Luis Enrique, and thus, he received 45% votes which equates to 291,611 people.
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
The Spaniard was among the most consistent players at the Santiago Bernabeu last year. He got 52% votes from the fans.
Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
Sergio Ramos will be accompanied by his teammate at the Spanish national team. Pique enjoyed a very successful year with Barca and deserved to be in this line up. The former Manchester United player received 40% votes.
David Alaba (Bayern Munich)
David Alaba is unarguably the best versatile player on the planet. Discovered by Louis van Gaal, Alaba is undoubtedly the best left-back in the world, and he has received the second highest percentage of votes – 68%.
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
The Spain international has won it all, and he’ll retire as one of the greats of modern football. Iniesta was consistently good in the Catalonian giants’ success over the year and received 63% votes.
James Rodriguez (Real Madrid)
The Colombian midfielder is certainly amongst the best players in the world, but one could argue that he was a bit less deserving than the former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. James Rodriguez got 41% votes in the online poll.
Paul Pogba (Juventus)
Pogba is among the most sought after players in the world and since making a move from Manchester United, he has been nothing but outstanding for Juventus. The Frenchman got 56% votes.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Only 41% votes for the reigning World Player of the Year. The Real Madrid stalwart didn’t win silverware with the capital club but on an individual level, his year was nothing but exceptional.
Neymar (Barcelona)
The Brazilian forward, who is also being tipped to take the throne after Messi and Ronaldo, made it into the line-up with 44% votes. He will also be present on the podium alongside Messi and Ronaldo on January 11 in Zurich at the annual FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
The Argentine forward received 70% votes and would be the first name on the team sheet if we pick the team of best players last year. Messi is also the favourite to win his fifth Ballon d’Or on Monday.