As yet another season comes to an end, we take a look back at the performances that inspired teams to titles (or even memorable finishes in the table). Every year we pick the best XI from around Europe’s top five leagues – namely the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
So which players make this elite XI? Let’s take a look. the formation we have used is the traditional 4-3-3 formation to accommodate four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards.
Goalkeeper
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There were a number of choices for the goalkeeper’s position. The Premier League had two nominees in Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris and Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois. Real Madrid’s Keylor Navas also had a good season between the sticks in La Liga. But only one man stood above the rest.
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is still going strong at the ripe old age of 39 and doesn’t show any signs of stopping.The Old Lady were unstoppable as they bulldozed past everyone else to win the Serie A title for the sixth consecutive year.
His performances in goal not only in Serie A but also the Champions League have made him the neutrals’ favourite for the Ballon d’Or – an award rarely ever won by goalkeepers. A Champions League winners medal might change that though.
Centre-Backs
Although goalkeepers take home awards for keeping the most number of clean sheets, the defence in front of them also deserves a lot of credit. Looking around the top five leagues, the teams with the best defensive records were Bayern Munich, PSG, Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus and Atletico Madrid.
But on an individual level, it was Toby Alderweireld who stood out without actually doing so. The Belgian defender quietly went about his business making 41 tackles and26 interceptions in the league this season. He also won 87 aerial duels as Spurs conceded only 26 goals this season.
Alongside him in this team is another Juventus player – Leonardo Bonucci. Whether it was a back-three or a back-four, Bonucci was the constant in central defence. Giorgio Chiellini could also have had a shout but Bonucci has had a better season, even in attack with his passing range creating 10 chances for the Italian champions this season.
Full-Backs
The role of the full-back has evolved in recent years and it is no longer uncommon to see them making an appearance inside the opponents’ box – something that was very rare as they were the last players you would expect to be so far out of position even in set pieces.
It comes as no surprise then that the two full-backs in this team are Brazilians – players who love to attack more than they defend. In that regard, Real Madrid’s Marcelo has been in fine form in La Liga. Time and again he makes forays forward to provide Zidane’s side with an extra man in attack. And 10 assists for a full-back is no joke.
On the other side is his compatriot Dani Alves. Released by Barcelona and gleefully accepted by Juventus, Alves has been one of their best players of the season. His reputation preceded him and Buffon even took him aside and asked him how to win the Champions League.
Alves has probably made Barcelona regret their decision to let him go. Deployed either as a full-back or a wing-back, it was Alves who sealed Juve’s ticket to the Champions League final with two assists and a goal in the semi-finals.
Midfield
Over the years it has been goalscorers who pick up all the major end-of-season awards but the Premier League saw a marked change this season. Chelsea’s livewire in midfield N’Golo Kante picked up various Player of the Year awards and underlined how important his role has been in the Blues’ league title win.
Tactics have evolved in such a way that possession football has now given way to winning the ball back and that is a role where Kante excelled. In all, he made 126 tackles and 84 appearances for Conte’s side.
Alongside him is yet another player who kept the ball ticking without really showing how tough it was to keep the ball moving. Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos plays with a seemingly effortless swagger in a La Liga midfield that is akin to a pressure cooker.
How else can you justify creating 80 chances in the league with 12 assists to his name? The German midfield machine also has a pass accuracy of over 92% and is instrumental when it comes to set pieces where Sergio Ramos invariably scores a late equaliser or winner.
In the central attacking midfielder role is a player who made his debut in the top flight of a major league this season. RB Leipzig turned heads in the Bundesliga when the newly-promoted team finished second behind Bayern Munich and ahead of Borussia Dortmund. And at the heart of the team was Swedish midfielder, Emil Forsberg.
Another player who excels at set pieces and averaging more than two dribbles per game, Forsberg scored eight goals to go with his 19 assists (the highest in Europe this season). And remember, the Bundesliga has only 34 games so he may well have crossed the 20-assist mark this season in a 38-game league season.
Forwards
After a relatively quiet 2014/15 season (relative to his own exploits, of course), Lionel Messi stormed back this year with 37 league goals to pick up the European Golden Shoe for the first time since the 2012/13 campaign – thereby breaking the duopoly of Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years.
Barcelona’s era of dominance has finally come to an end and questions will be asked of their future. But Messi is still doing his best to carry the team and is still the undisputed leader of the team in terms of the impact he makes in the squad. Fans were all set to mourn for Edinson Cavani when he was set to be robbed of the Golden Shoe due to Ligue 1’s low co-efficient but Messi scored two more than the Uruguayan striker to win it outright anyway.
On the left is none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward looks all set to win another Ballon d’Or should he lead Real Madrid to the promised land by becoming the first team to defend their European crown in the Champions League era and his hat-tricks against Bayern and Atletico in the knockout stages only show that he is far from being finished.
25 goals in the league is his lowest return in a white shirt ever since his move to Madrid and he looks all set to finish with less than 50 goals (in all competitions) for the first time since his debut season in SpainLa Liga. But with Karim Benzema misfiring and Gareth Bale out injured half the time, Ronaldo’s role and position in the team has evolved and it does look like he will finish his career as a centre-forward rather than a wide one.
Striker
For the role of the striker, there were many names to choose from: Cavani, Aubameyang, Lewandowski, Dzeko, Kane, Suarez... But as with most top coaches, we decided to give youth talent a chance. Which is why we have picked Kylian Mbappe to lead the line of this XI.
The striker turned 18 only a few months ago but with adulthood came a mature head filled with composure in front of goal in the grandest stage of all – the Champions League. Dubbed the next Thierry Henry (which young French forward isn’t but in this case there are similarities), Mbappe has scored 26 goals in all competitions, including six in Europe.
We’d have loved to go with an established poacher but Mbappe’s pace, energy, dribbling skills, and finishing make him one of the most exciting players to watch out for in the next decade or so.
The Second String XI
It wouldn’t be fair to pick just 11 players and just leave it there. So we decided to pick a second XI of players that deserved to be picked but narrowly missed the cut.
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur)
Centre-Backs: Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) and Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
Full-Backs: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid) and Sandro (Juventus)
Midfield: Casemiro (Real Madrid), Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich) and Bernardo Silva (AS Monaco)
Forwards: Isco (Real Madrid), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) and Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
