Best active European football XI
The beautiful game has been graced by many fine players across positions over the years.
The likes of Pele, Diego Maradona, Gerd Muller, Eusebio, Franz Beckenbauer, Paolo Maldini and Lev Yashin are widely regarded as some of the best players in their respective positions. The same also holds true for a few players who are still active in the game.
On that note, let's take a look at the best active XI in the game at the moment. A 4-3-3 formation has been considered for this hypothetical team. So without further ado, let's get started:
Goalkeeper - Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid/Slovenia)
Jan Oblak is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the game at the moment.
The 28-year-old custodian is a vital cog in Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid, making over 300 appearances across competitions. Last season, Oblak played a key role in the Rojiblancos' first La Liga triumph in seven years. He played in all 38 league games, conceded just 25 goals and kept a league-high 18 clean sheets.
鉀旓笍 Jan Oblak kept more clean sheets (18) than any other goalkeeper
馃搱 Lionel Messi (8.52) finished the season as the best rated player
馃摑 See who else makes the LaLiga 2020/21 team of the season 馃憞
Oblak, who has kept an impressive 125 clean sheets in La Liga, has also sparkled in international football. He has registered 20 clean sheets in 40 games for Slovenia.
Left-back - Andy Robertson (Liverpool/Scotland)
Andy Robertson is currently one of the finest attacking left-backs. In just four seasons at Liverpool, Robertson has tallied an impressive 37 assists across competitions, with 35 of them coming in the Premier League.
During this period, the 27-year-old has helped Liverpool to a Champions League and Premier League title in successive seasons. Robertson has struck up a prolific partnership with right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold (more about him later).
27 - Since his Premier League debut in August 2014, Liverpool鈥檚 Andrew Robertson has registered 27 assists in the competition, more than any other defender in that time. Adventurous. https://t.co/M1KZxbH1gV
Robertson has largely struggled to replicate his Liverpool numbers for Scotland, though. He has racked up just five goal contributions (two goals, three assists) in over 50 games.
Centre-back - Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool/Netherlands)
Virgil van Dijk is one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the game at the moment.
The Dutchman has been a colossal presence at the back for Liverpool since his arrival at the club in January last year. Van Dijk did not miss a league game in consecutive seasons as Liverpool finished a close second to Manchester City in 2018-19 before going all the way a year later.
He has also helped Liverpool to successive Champions League final appearances, with the Reds losing to Real Madrid in 2018 and beating Tottenham Hotspur in 2019. An early season-ending injury to Van Dijk wrecked Liverpool's defense last season; the Reds were in alarming freefall before they recovered to finish a distant third.
His return this season has immediately transformed Liverpool's fortunes as the club sit joint top of the Premier League table. Van Dijk recently tallied 100 Premier League games for Liverpool, winning a staggering 76 of them.
76% - Since Virgil van Dijk's league debut for @LFC in January 2018, he has won 72 of his 95 @premierleague games with the club (76%); this is the best win rate of any player to make 80+ appearances in the competition in this time. Colossal. https://t.co/plcvywYQNa
Van Dijk, who is strong in the air and has rarely been dribbled past, has also performed strongly for the Netherlands.
Centre-back - Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Leonardo Bonucci is one of the most decorated defenders still active in the game. The 34-year-old centre-back is one of the first names on the team sheet for both Juventus and Italy.
Bonucci, who has made close to 450 appearances for the Bianconeri, played a key role in Italy's triumphant Euro 2020 campaign. Along with his defensive partner Giorgio Chiellini, Bonucci wasn't dribbled past the entire tournament and didn't made an error leading to an opposition shot either.
Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini both completed the entire #EURO2020 tournament without being successfully dribbled past by an opposition player or making an error leading to a shot.
WARRIORS. https://t.co/mexIFLrVOO
The nine-time Serie A winner has scored key goals for club and country throughout his career. At Euro 2020, Bonucci became the oldest player to score in a European Championship final.
Right-back - Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool/England)
Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the most exciting full-backs in the game at the moment.
His tireless runs down the flanks lend width to Liverpool's attack. Recently, the 22-year-old became one of the youngest players to register 35 assists in the Premier League. Alexander-Arnold has blossomed into a world-class full-back after the arrival of Andy Robertson.
35 - Trent Alexander-Arnold recorded his 35th Premier League assist today, aged 22 years and 340 days. In the competition's history, only Cesc F谩bregas, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs have reached this total at a younger age. Right-back. https://t.co/N5XmDCYYBH
The Englishman and Robertson form one of the most devastating full-back partnerships in the history of the game. Alexander-Arnold provided an impressive 13 assists in Liverpool's triumphant Premier League campaign in 2019-20.