# UEFA Team of the Year

The UEFA Fan's Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its official website. This award started in 2001 and allows users of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their overall performances in European club football and international competitions.

## Selection process

Until 2011, the writers at the website had constructed a short-list of sixty footballers and coaches who have performed well in European club competitions, domestic competitions and international tournaments for that particular year. Users then cast their vote of a line-up consisting of eleven players (including a goalkeeper, four defenders, four midfielders, and two forwards) and a coach based on who they believed excelled in European football. After the selection is made, the user also has to select one of the players to be the captain of their team.
The format of the vote was changed in 2012 – now users first choose their preferred formation (4–4–2, 3–5–2, 3–4–3, 4–3–3 or 5–3–2), and then choose the relevant number of players for each position. The voters have a choice between 4 goalkeepers, 12 defenders, 12 midfielders and 12 forwards. The voting for best coach was discontinued.
After the votes are cast, they are tallied and the final team is announced on the UEFA website.

## Appearance records

The player with the most appearances in the team is Cristiano Ronaldo, having appeared fifteen times. Second is Lionel Messi, having appeared twelve times. Sergio Ramos has the third-most appearances with nine, which is also the record for a defender. The most consecutive appearances in the team is fourteen for Cristiano Ronaldo (2007–2020), followed by Sergio Ramos (2012–2018) and Lionel Messi (2014–2020) with seven each, and Iker Casillas (2007–2012) with six.
The teams with the most player appearances (not including manager appearances) are Real Madrid and Barcelona with 49, followed by Bayern Munich (21) and Juventus (20). Barcelona is the team with the most players selected in a single season, with six players in both 2009 and 2010. The only other teams with more than three players in one season are Bayern Munich (four in 2013 and five in both 2014 and 2020), Liverpool (five in 2019), and Real Madrid (five in both 2017 and 2018 and four in 2003, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016).
The manager with the most appearances is José Mourinho, with four appearances (one with Internazionale, two with Porto and one with Chelsea). He is followed by Alex Ferguson, who has two appearances.

## Team of the Year 2001

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Santiago Cañizares | Valencia | 1st |
| Cosmin Contra | Alavés Milan | 1st |
| Sami Hyypiä | Liverpool | 1st |
| Patrik Andersson | Bayern Munich Barcelona | 1st |
| Bixente Lizarazu | Bayern Munich | 1st |
| David Beckham | Manchester United | 1st |
| Patrick Vieira | Arsenal | 1st |
| Zinedine Zidane | Juventus Real Madrid | 1st |
| Kily González | Valencia | 1st |
| Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 1st |
| David Trezeguet | Juventus | 1st |
Coach: Gérard Houllier: Liverpool
Source:
Players who played for two teams during the voting year have the club they transferred to during a transfer window listed second.

## Team of the Year 2002

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Rüştü Reçber | Fenerbahçe | 1st |
| Carles Puyol | Barcelona | 1st |
| Alessandro Nesta | Lazio Milan | 1st |
| Cristian Chivu | Ajax | 1st |
| Roberto Carlos | Real Madrid | 1st |
| Clarence Seedorf | Internazionale Milan | 1st |
| Michael Ballack | Bayer Leverkusen Bayern Munich | 1st |
| Zinedine Zidane | Real Madrid | 2nd |
| Damien Duff | Blackburn Rovers | 1st |
| Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 2nd |
| Ronaldo | Internazionale Real Madrid | 1st |
Coach: Şenol Güneş: Turkey
Source:
Players who played for two teams during the voting year have the club they transferred to during a transfer window listed second.

## Team of the Year 2003

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus | 1st |
| Paulo Ferreira | Porto | 1st |
| Alessandro Nesta | Milan | 2nd |
| Paolo Maldini | Milan | 1st |
| Roberto Carlos | Real Madrid | 2nd |
| Luís Figo | Real Madrid | 1st |
| David Beckham | Manchester United Real Madrid | 2nd |
| Zinedine Zidane | Real Madrid | 3rd |
| Pavel Nedvěd | Juventus | 1st |
| Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 3rd |
| Ruud van Nistelrooy | Manchester United | 1st |
Coach: José Mourinho: Porto
Source:
Players who played for two teams during the voting year have the club they transferred to during a transfer window listed second.

## Team of the Year 2004

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus | 2nd |
| Cafu | Milan | 1st |
| Ricardo Carvalho | Porto Chelsea | 1st |
| Alessandro Nesta | Milan | 3rd |
| Ashley Cole | Arsenal | 1st |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | 1st |
| Maniche | Porto | 1st |
| Ronaldinho | Barcelona | 1st |
| Pavel Nedvěd | Juventus | 2nd |
| Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 4th |
| Andriy Shevchenko | Milan | 1st |
Coach: José Mourinho: Porto / Chelsea
Source:
Players who played for two teams during the voting year have the club they transferred to during a transfer window listed second.

## Team of the Year 2005

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Petr Čech | Chelsea | 1st |
| Cafu | Milan | 2nd |
| John Terry | Chelsea | 1st |
| Carles Puyol | Barcelona | 2nd |
| Paolo Maldini | Milan | 2nd |
| Luis García | Liverpool | 1st |
| Steven Gerrard | Liverpool | 1st |
| Ronaldinho | Barcelona | 2nd |
| Pavel Nedvěd | Juventus | 3rd |
| Samuel Eto'o | Barcelona | 1st |
| Andriy Shevchenko | Milan | 2nd |
Coach: José Mourinho: Chelsea
Source:

## Team of the Year 2006

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus | 3rd |
| Gianluca Zambrotta | Juventus Barcelona | 1st |
| Fabio Cannavaro | Juventus Real Madrid | 1st |
| Carles Puyol | Barcelona | 3rd |
| Philipp Lahm | Bayern Munich | 1st |
| Steven Gerrard | Liverpool | 2nd |
| Cesc Fàbregas | Arsenal | 1st |
| Kaká | Milan | 1st |
| Ronaldinho | Barcelona | 3rd |
| Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 5th |
| Samuel Eto'o | Barcelona | 2nd |
Coach: Frank Rijkaard: Barcelona
Source:
Players who played for two teams during the voting year have the club they transferred to during a transfer window listed second.

## Team of the Year 2007

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Iker Casillas | Real Madrid | 1st |
| Dani Alves | Sevilla | 1st |
| Alessandro Nesta | Milan | 4th |
| John Terry | Chelsea | 2nd |
| Eric Abidal | Lyon Barcelona | 1st |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | 2nd |
| Steven Gerrard | Liverpool | 3rd |
| Kaká | Milan | 2nd |
| Clarence Seedorf | Milan | 2nd |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | Internazionale | 1st |
| Didier Drogba | Chelsea | 1st |
Coach: Alex Ferguson: Manchester United
Source:
Players who played for two teams during the voting year have the club they transferred to during a transfer window listed second.

## Team of the Year 2008

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Iker Casillas | Real Madrid | 2nd |
| Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | 1st |
| John Terry | Chelsea | 3rd |
| Carles Puyol | Barcelona | 4th |
| Philipp Lahm | Bayern Munich | 2nd |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | 3rd |
| Xavi | Barcelona | 1st |
| Cesc Fàbregas | Arsenal | 2nd |
| Franck Ribéry | Bayern Munich | 1st |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 1st |
| Fernando Torres | Liverpool | 1st |
Coach: Alex Ferguson: Manchester United
Source:

## Team of the Year 2009

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Iker Casillas | Real Madrid | 3rd |
| Dani Alves | Barcelona | 2nd |
| John Terry | Chelsea | 4th |
| Carles Puyol | Barcelona | 5th |
| Patrice Evra | Manchester United | 1st |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United Real Madrid | 4th |
| Xavi | Barcelona | 2nd |
| Kaká | Milan Real Madrid | 3rd |
| Andrés Iniesta | Barcelona | 1st |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 2nd |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | Internazionale Barcelona | 2nd |
Coach: Pep Guardiola: Barcelona
Source:
Players who played for two teams during the voting year have the club they transferred to during a transfer window listed second.

## Team of the Year 2010

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Iker Casillas | Real Madrid | 4th |
| Maicon | Internazionale | 1st |
| Gerard Piqué | Barcelona | 1st |
| Carles Puyol | Barcelona | 6th |
| Ashley Cole | Chelsea | 2nd |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 5th |
| Xavi | Barcelona | 3rd |
| Wesley Sneijder | Internazionale | 1st |
| Andrés Iniesta | Barcelona | 2nd |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 3rd |
| David Villa | Valencia Barcelona | 1st |
Coach: José Mourinho: Internazionale / Real Madrid
Source:
Players who played for two teams during the voting year have the club they transferred to during a transfer window listed second.

## Team of the Year 2011

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Iker Casillas | Real Madrid | 5th |
| Dani Alves | Barcelona | 3rd |
| Gerard Piqué | Barcelona | 2nd |
| Thiago Silva | Milan | 1st |
| Marcelo | Real Madrid | 1st |
| Arjen Robben | Bayern Munich | 1st |
| Xavi | Barcelona | 4th |
| Andrés Iniesta | Barcelona | 3rd |
| Gareth Bale | Tottenham Hotspur | 1st |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 4th |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 6th |
Source:
Voting for a coach ended this year.

## Team of the Year 2012

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Iker Casillas | Real Madrid | 6th |
| Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | 2nd |
| Gerard Piqué | Barcelona | 3rd |
| Thiago Silva | Milan Paris Saint-Germain | 2nd |
| Philipp Lahm | Bayern Munich | 3rd |
| Andrés Iniesta | Barcelona | 4th |
| Xavi | Barcelona | 5th |
| Andrea Pirlo | Juventus | 1st |
| Mesut Özil | Real Madrid | 1st |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 5th |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 7th |
Source:
Players who played for two teams during the voting year have the club they transferred to during a transfer window listed second.

## Team of the Year 2013

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | 1st |
| Philipp Lahm | Bayern Munich | 4th |
| Thiago Silva | Paris Saint-Germain | 3rd |
| Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | 3rd |
| David Alaba | Bayern Munich | 1st |
| Gareth Bale | Tottenham Hotspur Real Madrid | 2nd |
| Marco Reus | Borussia Dortmund | 1st |
| Mesut Özil | Real Madrid Arsenal | 2nd |
| Franck Ribéry | Bayern Munich | 2nd |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | Paris Saint-Germain | 3rd |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 8th |
Source:
Players who played for two teams during the voting year have the club they transferred to during a transfer window listed second.

## Team of the Year 2014

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | 2nd |
| Philipp Lahm | Bayern Munich | 5th |
| Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | 4th |
| Diego Godín | Atlético Madrid | 1st |
| David Alaba | Bayern Munich | 2nd |
| Arjen Robben | Bayern Munich | 2nd |
| Toni Kroos | Bayern Munich Real Madrid | 1st |
| Ángel Di María | Real Madrid Manchester United | 1st |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 6th |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | Paris Saint-Germain | 4th |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 9th |
Source:
Players who played for two teams during the voting year have the club they transferred to during a transfer window listed second.

## Team of the Year 2015

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | 3rd |
| Dani Alves | Barcelona | 4th |
| Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | 5th |
| Gerard Piqué | Barcelona | 4th |
| David Alaba | Bayern Munich | 3rd |
| Paul Pogba | Juventus | 1st |
| Andrés Iniesta | Barcelona | 5th |
| James Rodríguez | Real Madrid | 1st |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 10th |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 7th |
| Neymar | Barcelona | 1st |
Source:

## Team of the Year 2016

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus | 4th |
| Jérôme Boateng | Bayern Munich | 1st |
| Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | 6th |
| Gerard Piqué | Barcelona | 5th |
| Leonardo Bonucci | Juventus | 1st |
| Luka Modrić | Real Madrid | 1st |
| Toni Kroos | Real Madrid | 2nd |
| Andrés Iniesta | Barcelona | 6th |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 8th |
| Antoine Griezmann | Atlético Madrid | 1st |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 11th |
Source:

## Team of the Year 2017

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus | 5th |
| Dani Alves | Juventus Paris Saint-Germain | 5th |
| Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | 7th |
| Giorgio Chiellini | Juventus | 1st |
| Marcelo | Real Madrid | 2nd |
| Luka Modrić | Real Madrid | 2nd |
| Toni Kroos | Real Madrid | 3rd |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | 1st |
| Eden Hazard | Chelsea | 1st |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 9th |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 12th |
Source:

## Team of the Year 2018

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Marc-André ter Stegen | Barcelona | 1st |
| Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | 8th |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | 1st |
| Raphaël Varane | Real Madrid | 1st |
| Marcelo | Real Madrid | 3rd |
| Luka Modrić | Real Madrid | 3rd |
| N'Golo Kanté | Chelsea | 1st |
| Eden Hazard | Chelsea | 2nd |
| Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain | 1st |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 10th |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid Juventus | 13th |
Source:

## Team of the Year 2019

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Alisson Becker | Liverpool | 1st |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool | 1st |
| Matthijs de Ligt | Ajax Juventus | 1st |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | 2nd |
| Andrew Robertson | Liverpool | 1st |
| Frenkie de Jong | Ajax Barcelona | 1st |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | 2nd |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 11th |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus | 14th |
| Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 1st |
| Sadio Mané | Liverpool | 1st |
Source:

## Team of the Year 2020

| Player | Team(s) | Appearance |
| Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | 4th |
| Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich | 1st |
| Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | 9th |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | 3rd |
| Alphonso Davies | Bayern Munich | 1st |
| Thiago | Bayern Munich Liverpool | 1st |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | 3rd |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 12th |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus | 15th |
| Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 2nd |
| Neymar | Paris Saint-Germain | 2nd |
Source:

## Most appearances
### By player

| Player | Appearances |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 15 |
| Lionel Messi | 12 |
| Sergio Ramos | 9 |
| Iker Casillas | 6 |
| Carles Puyol | 6 |
| Andrés Iniesta | 6 |
| Gianluigi Buffon | 5 |
| Dani Alves | 5 |
| Thierry Henry | 5 |
| Philipp Lahm | 5 |
| Gerard Piqué | 5 |
| Xavi | 5 |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | 4 |
| Alessandro Nesta | 4 |
| Manuel Neuer | 4 |
| John Terry | 4 |
| David Alaba | 3 |
| Kevin De Bruyne | 3 |
| Steven Gerrard | 3 |
| Kaká | 3 |
| Toni Kroos | 3 |
| Marcelo | 3 |
| Luka Modrić | 3 |
| Pavel Nedvěd | 3 |
| Ronaldinho | 3 |
| Thiago Silva | 3 |
| Virgil van Dijk | 3 |
| Zinedine Zidane | 3 |
| Gareth Bale | 2 |
| David Beckham | 2 |
| Cafu | 2 |
| Ashley Cole | 2 |
| Samuel Eto'o | 2 |
| Cesc Fàbregas | 2 |
| Eden Hazard | 2 |
| Robert Lewandowski | 2 |
| Paolo Maldini | 2 |
| Neymar | 2 |
| Mesut Özil | 2 |
| Franck Ribéry | 2 |
| Arjen Robben | 2 |
| Roberto Carlos | 2 |
| Clarence Seedorf | 2 |
| Andriy Shevchenko | 2 |
| 56 players | 1 |

### By coach

| Manager | Appearances |
| José Mourinho | 4 |
| Alex Ferguson | 2 |
| Gérard Houllier | 1 |
| Şenol Güneş | 1 |
| Frank Rijkaard | 1 |
| Pep Guardiola | 1 |

### By club

| Club | Players |
| Real Madrid | 40 |
| Barcelona | 40 |
| Bayern Munich | 26 |
| Juventus | 21 |
| Liverpool | 19 |
| Milan | 18 |
| Chelsea | 11 |
| Arsenal | 10 |
| Manchester United | 9 |
| Internazionale | 6 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 6 |
| Ajax | 5 |
| Manchester City | 4 |
| Porto | 3 |
| Valencia | 3 |
| Atlético Madrid | 2 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2 |
| Alavés | 1 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 1 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 1 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 1 |
| Fenerbahçe | 1 |
| Lazio | 1 |
| Lyon | 1 |
| Sevilla | 1 |

### By country

| Country | Players |
| Spain | 44 |
| Brazil | 26 |
| France | 20 |
| Germany | 19 |
| Portugal | 19 |
| Italy | 16 |
| Argentina | 13 |
| England | 11 |
| Netherlands | 8 |
| Sweden | 5 |
| Belgium | 4 |
| Czech Republic | 4 |
| Austria | 3 |
| Croatia | 3 |
| Cameroon | 2 |
| Romania | 2 |
| Ukraine | 2 |
| Poland | 2 |
| Wales | 2 |
| Canada | 1 |
| Colombia | 1 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 1 |
| Finland | 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | 1 |
| Scotland | 1 |
| Turkey | 1 |
| Uruguay | 1 |
| Senegal | 1 |

## UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year

In November 2015, UEFA published their Ultimate Team of the Year, composed of the 18 players (11 starters and 7 substitutes) with the all-time most appearances in the UEFA Team of the Year, since its inception in 2001.
| All-time XI | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
| | Iker Casillas (Real Madrid/Porto) | Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich) Carles Puyol (Barcelona) Alessandro Nesta (Lazio/Milan) Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) | Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona) Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) Xavi (Barcelona) | Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United/Real Madrid) Thierry Henry (Arsenal) Lionel Messi (Barcelona) |
| Substitutes | Appearances (as of 2015) |
| John Terry | 4 |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | 4 |
| Gianluigi Buffon | 3 |
| Pavel Nedvěd | 3 |
| Zinedine Zidane | 3 |
| Ronaldinho | 3 |
| Kaká | 3 |
In November 2017, UEFA published an UEFA all-time XI of the century so far, their second Ultimate Team of the Year, composed of the 11 players with the all-time most appearances in the UEFA Team of the Year, since its inception in 2001.
| All-time XI | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
| | Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) | Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich) Carles Puyol (Barcelona) Gerard Piqué (Barcelona) Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) | Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona) Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) Xavi (Barcelona) | Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United/Real Madrid) Thierry Henry (Arsenal) Lionel Messi (Barcelona) |