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The football analysis portal "Zonal Marking" compiled a symbolic best eleven of the 2011-2012 season of European national championships.
Goalkeeper: Joe Hart, "Man City" (England)
Great season for Hart allowed the "Man City" team to win the "Premier" league trophy. He stood out not only for impressively repelling shots, but also for catching crosses and organizing the defense. He only conceded 17 goals in 38 matches.
Defenders:
Stephen Lichtsteiner, Turin "Juventus" (Italy)
One of the discoveries of this season. Already in the team of Rome's "Lazio", the Swiss player stood out with solid play, but revealed his full potential in Turin. The full-back formed a great tandem with Andrea Pirlo and especially stood out in away matches against Milan "Inter" with impressive runs.
Vincent Kompany, "Man City" (England)
Without a doubt one of the best central defenders in Europe. Known for excellent positional play and being unbeatable in the "second floor". His goal secured "Man City" victory in one of the season's most important matches against "Man Utd".
Mats Hummels, Dortmund "Borussia" (Germany)
Hummels became the true defensive leader of "Borussia", helping the team defend the country's champions title. He is a technical but hard-working player, perfectly meeting the requirements for a modern central defender. Along with Neven Subotic, they formed an unbreakable duo.
Jordi Alba, "Valencia" (Spain)
The left-back position is perhaps the weakest in Europe at the moment, so the choice was not difficult. Alba's technical abilities paired perfectly with Jeremy Mathieu, who was pushed closer to the center of the pitch. It's no wonder that Barcelona is looking to acquire Alba, as their former coach Pep Guardiola never fully solved the left-back problem.
Midfielders:
Andrea Pirlo, "Juventus" (Italy)
Before the last season, veteran Pirlo left "Milan" and moved to "Juventus". However, no one could have expected the experienced Italian to perform so consistently. He was a true conductor of attacks, helping the team win "Serie A" without experiencing defeat.
Yaya Toure, "Man City" (England)
The Ivory Coast national team member shines when most needed - his two goals led to an extremely important victory against "Newcastle". Known for his versatility: physically strong, but also technical, capable of tearing through the opponent's defense and creating opportunities for a teammate.
Santi Cazorla, "Malaga" (Spain)
Perhaps considered the best purchase of last summer. He left "Villarreal" and moved to "Malaga", partly causing his former club to drop from 4th to 18th place and say goodbye to the top division. Cazorla is not particularly fast and doesn't score many goals, but his positional abilities and movement on the field make him one of the smartest midfielders in Europe. And let's not forget his passing and set-piece abilities...
Forwards
Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid "Real" (Spain)
46 goals were not enough to win the award for the most productive player in the Spanish championship, but the triumph in the national championships more than made up for it. The forward stood out in the away match against "Barcelona", practically securing trophies for his club. C.Ronaldo scored into the net 62 times more than any other player in European national championships.
Lionel Messi, "Barcelona" (Spain)
Perhaps "Barcelona" did not win the Spanish championship and the Champions League, but Messi didn't forget this season. He scored 73 goals in 60 matches - the numbers speak for themselves. There's no need to talk - he is a genius.
Falcao, Madrid "Atletico" (Spain)
Choosing the third striker was difficult: after all, unmentioned players like Robin van Persie, Olivier Giroud, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mario Gomez, and others remained. But Falcao earned his spot with his performance in the Europa League: in the final, he scored two impressive goals, and in the Spanish championship, he scored 24 times. Percentage-wise, this was the largest share of goals for his team compared to any other player mentioned above.
Substitutes:
Gianluigi Buffon ("Juventus"), Lukasz Piszczek ("Borussia"), Thiago Silva ("Milan"), Sergio Ramos ("Real"), Giorgio Chiellini ("Juventus"), Xavi ("Barcelona"), Arturo Vidal ("Juventus"), Marco Reus (Borussia Monchengladbach), David Silva ("Man City"), Robin van Persie ("Arsenal"), Olivier Giroud ("Montpellier");
