After the end of the Old Continent national championships, the portal Goal.com announced the symbolic team of the season.
Goalkeeper - David De Gea (Manchester United). This Spaniard outshone players like Gianluigi Buffon, Claudio Bravo or Manuel Neuer this season because he was one of the main people who brought the Red Devils back to the top four of the Premier League. De Gea kept a clean sheet 10 times and repelled 93 shots in 37 matches.
Defenders. Gerard Pique (Barcelona). A former Man United player who had a few poor seasons and a disastrous World Cup, Pique was already written off, but this season he managed to bounce back and demonstrate excellent form. Pique was the heart of the Barcelona defense, which conceded only 21 goals in La Liga. In addition, the Spaniard also scored five goals.
Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus). This Italian often struggled with his duties in the four-man defense, so when Massimiliano Allegri chose to play with a 4-3-1-2 formation, he was the first to have doubts about. However, Bonucci performed excellently throughout the season and was a key part of one of the best defending teams in Europe.
Douglas (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk). The Ukrainian club advancing to the UEFA Europa League final created a real story. This achievement was only possible due to their ironclad defense, with Douglas being the main figure. Many experts chose the Brazilian as the best player of the entire tournament because Dnipro kept a clean sheet seven times, and Douglas himself intercepted 56 balls, the best result in the Europa League.
Midfielders. Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg). After selling the Belgian at the end of the season, Jose Mourinho probably regrets it. De Bruyne, who led the team to second place, improved the Bundesliga record for assists and scored ten goals. The attacking midfielder also added goals and assists in the Europa League. In this tournament, De Bruyne created 17 chances more than any other player, even though Wolfsburg was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain). The Italian's passing stats were impressive. Verratti was second only to his teammate Thiago Motta in Ligue 1 in terms of passing accuracy, and in the Champions League, his passing accuracy was 91.7 percent. Verratti also secured his name as one of Europe's best midfielders by outshining London Chelsea's midfield duo Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic.
David Alaba (Bayern Munich). The Austrian, who had been an excellent left-back, became one of the best midfielders this season. Adapting to many different tactics of Pep Guardiola, Alaba played well both in attack and defense. In addition, he scored several impressive goals from free kicks and was among the best free-kick takers.
Eden Hazard (Chelsea). Another attacking midfielder from Belgium was undoubtedly the best player in the Premier League and rightly took home the awards. Hazard was the main driver for the aristocrats, leading them to the English champion's trophy after a long hiatus. The Belgian scored 19 goals and provided 8 assists in all competitions.
Forwards. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid). Of course, this team cannot be without the Ballon d'Or winner. Despite the slight decline in form of the 30-year-old Portuguese in the second half of the season and the fact that the royal club remained without titles, his 63 goals speak for themselves. Ronaldo was the most prolific player of the season.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona). After lagging behind CR7 for a few years, Messi certainly returned to his best form. The Argentine scored 43 goals and made 18 assists in La Liga, and in the Champions League, he had already scored 10 goals before the final. If Barcelona manages to win the treble, it is very likely that Messi will add his fifth Golden Ball.
Carlos Tevez (Juventus). Another Argentine striker, appearing in the Champions League final. The 31-year-old player outperformed opponents' goalkeepers 19 times in Serie A and was one of the most productive in Italy. In the Champions League, Tevez was also relentless and scored 7 times.
