European Team of the Year for 2016/17: Do Ronaldo and Messi make the cut?

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

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.