Breaking: UEFA Team of the Year 2019 shortlist announced
The 50-man Shortlist for the 2019 UEFA Team of the Year has been released and it doesn't come as a surprise that the list is dominated by Premier League players, predominantly from Manchester City and Liverpool. Pep Guardiola's side sealed an unprecedented domestic treble last season and the Reds were crowned European champions for the sixth time in their history, capping off a sensational season for the English clubs.
Jurgen Klopp's side are represented by 10 players and over half the players on the shortlist are currently plying their trade in the Premier League, an unfamiliar case traditionally due to the dominance of LaLiga sides in Europe over the past few years.
Andy Robertson is widely regarded as the best left-back in world football at the moment and the Liverpool man became the first Scottish player to be nominated for a berth in the UEFA Team of the Year.
UEFA's Team of the Year 2019 Nominees
Goalkeepers: Marc-Andre ter Stegen (FC Barcelona), Ederson Moraes (Manchester City), Alisson Becker (Liverpool), Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid), Andre Onana (Ajax)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Daley Blind (Ajax), Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax), Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Jordi Alba (FC Barcelona), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Gerard Pique (FC Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), Nicolas Tagliafico (Ajax), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Sporting CP), David Silva (Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain), Fabian Ruiz (Napoli), Fabinho (Liverpool), Frenkie de Jong (FC Barcelona), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jorginho (Chelsea), N'Golo Kante (Chelsea), Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), Donny van de Beek (Ajax), Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool), Hakim Ziyech (Ajax)
Attackers: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Real Madrid), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Sadio Mane (Liverpool), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Heung-Min Son (Tottenham Hotspur), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Dusan Tadic (Ajax)
Predicted UEFA Team of the Year 2019: Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt, Andy Robertson, Frenkie de Jong, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raheem Sterling