Uefa's Team of the Year 2009

Filed in archive Players on January 30, 2010

Uefa's team of the year, chosen by fans, has been announced. Inevitably, its majority is made up of Barcelona players, six in total, with three others also playing in Spain (namely, of course, Real Madrid.

The goalkeeper is Spain and Real's first keeper Iker Cassilas, while Carles Puyol captains the team in centre-back alongside England's John Terry. Manchester United's Patrice Evra, somehow, made it in at left-back while the excellent Daniel Alves completes the defence in right-back.

The world's most highly-rated player Cristiano Ronaldo plays in midfield alongside his Real Madrid team-mate Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (AKA Kaka), while their bitter rival's Barcelona's Xavi and Iniesta complete the midfield.

Up front we have the excellent Argentina forward and 2009 Champions League Final goalscorer Lionel Messi. Somehow, though, he has been put up front with the vastly over-rated Zlatan Ibrahimovich.

With only two Barcelona players in defence this makes it the only position to be balanced out with two from another League, namely, inevitably, the Premier League. While John Terry of Chelsea gives England a look-in, it is the Frenchman Patrice Evra that makes the defence the most diverse area of the field.

Even the manager works in Spain. Not hard to guess.....Pep Guardiola. Of Barcelona. And Spain. Out of 12 on the list, then, 5 are, or were, Spanish internationals, there are 2 Brazilians, 1 Englishman, 1 Argentinian, 1 Portuguese, 1 Frenchman and 1 Swede. Nationalities are diverse, at least, if not the League and Club representations.