Messi, Ronaldo, De Bruyne make UEFA Team of the Year as Oshoala misses out

SUPERSTARS Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have once again been included in the UEFA Team of the Year consisting of the best men’s footballers in Europe in 2020.

The Barcelona and Juventus superstars have been in the European best XI consistently for over a decade and they were considered by football fans and a technical panel for the 2020 selection also.

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar, Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer are also in the team.

Robert Lewandowski, the Bayern Munich striker named the 2020 FIFA Player of the Year, is also in the UEFA team as expected.

Others in the XI are Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara, Bayern Munich defender/midfielder Joshua Kimmich, Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk and Bayern Munich’s rising star defender Alphonso Davies.

The team is made up of one goalkeeper, four defenders, two midfielders and four forwards.

The team was announced by UEFA on their official website on Wednesday after votes from football fans were tabulated along with input from a technical panel.

Meanwhile, Super Falcons and Barcelona striker Asisat Oshoala was left out of the UEFA Women’s Team of the Year after having been initially nominated.

The Nigerian did not get enough votes to be among the chosen XI.