Fans vote Messi and Ronaldo into UEFA Team of the Year

2:37pm on Wednesday 20th January 2021
By Martin Macdonald

Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been voted into UEFA's Men's Team of the Year for 2020.

Ronaldo may have won Serie A again with Juventus, but on the European front he and the Bianconeri as a whole struggled, as they were eliminated at the last-16 stage by Lyon.

Messi did do slightly better with Barcelona, reaching quarter-final, but at that stage they were destroyed 8-2 by Bayern, which actually led to the Argentine asking to leave the club.

In domestic action, Barca surrendered La Liga to Real Madrid in a 2019/20 season which was their first in 12 years without any silverware won.

Still, both players were voted in by the public in a front four which includes Robert Lewandowski.

The Pole has already won the FIFA Men's Player of the Year Award and the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award for 2020 following his treble-winning season with Bayern in which he scored a ludicrous 55 goals in all competitions.

The other player in the front four is Neymar, who helped PSG to the Ligue 1 title as well as the club's first ever Champions League final when they were defeated by Bayern.

Thiago, now at Liverpool, starred for Bayern in the second half of the 2019/20 season, and makes up the midfield two alongside Man City's Kevin De Bruyne.

Virgil van Dijk, despite having missed near enough the entire 2020/21 season so far, makes the 2020 Team of the Year.

Sergio Ramos, Alphonso Davies, and Joshua Kimmich have also been voted in.

Completing the Bayern contingent is Manuel Neuer.