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With 2020 now in the past and we move onto 2021, we see a Team of the Year made by UEFA but we’ve decided to create our own through votes and what we feel the player gave to his club during the last year.
Goalkeeper- Jan Oblak
The Atletico Madrid shot-stopper edged out Manuel Neuer in our voting process and takes his place in between the sticks.
Los Rojiblancos made a fantastic start to 2020 reaching the Supercopa de Espana Final after beating Barcelona 3-2 in the Semi-Final that took place in the King Abdullah Sports City in Saudi Arabia.
Unfortunately, silverware evaded them as in an all Madrid derby they were taken to penalties and were beaten 4-1 in the shootout leaving another major final in second-place whilst they watched their rivals scoop the trophy.
Oblak managed to end the La Liga season with 17 clean sheets and only conceded 27 goals in 38 matches which proves why he is one of the best in what he does.
This season, it couldn’t be better for Atleti as they currently sit top of La Liga with the same amount of points as Real but with a highly superior goal difference and two games in hand.
The Slovenian goalkeeper is the key to their success and what has enabled them to be flying in the league. Having played all 13 matches, he’s kept nine clean sheets already and has only conceded five goals.
He is only eight clean sheets away from last season’s tally and he will for sure surpass that if this fantastic form continues. On top of this, Atletico have made the Champions League Round of 16 and will face Chelsea in the next round as the Spanish club hunt down another major final appearance.
Right-Back- Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold is becoming one of the best modern full-backs in the world and at the age of 22, has already won the Champions League and Premier League, two of the most desired trophies in club football.
The 2019/20 campaign saw the Liverpool side with the young English right-back in take the top-flight by storm as they went on to lift the trophy with 99 points to their name, 18 points ahead of second-place Manchester City.
It wasn’t Liverpool’s year in the Champions League as they were knocked out by Jan Oblak’s Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 4-2 on aggregate.
The right-back managed to break his own record of assists in the Premier League with 13 and he equaled the record for the most amount of assists by a defender in a Premier League season with Antonio Valencia also reaching the magic number 13 back in the 2011/12 season.
You wouldn’t have thought that the full-back is only 22 and has made over 150 appearances for the Reds and his contributions alongside fellow full-back Andy Robertson have been vital in Liverpool’s success in recent years and have proven how quickly a player of Trent’s quality can mature and become world-class in a fantastic team that Jurgen Klopp has assembled.
Centre-Back- Virgil van Dijk
When the centre-back joined Liverpool from Southampton in January 2018 for £75 million some football fans said it’s way too much for a player of that calibre, but fast-forward two years and the fee is justified by the sheer brilliance and calmness the big Dutch defender has given.
Van Dijk played every single game for the Reds in their Premier League season last campaign and did not miss a single minute completing 90 minutes in all 38 games.
The defender also managed to contribute in goals and assists grabbing five goals and one assist in the Premier League season. The Dutchman was vital to Liverpool’s defence as with him in the backline the Reds notched up an average 2.61 points per game which also highlights what a player he is.
The 29-year-old has unfortunately been injured since October 17th after Jordan Pickford fouled the Dutchman in the Merseyside derby as the defender continues his round to recovery from a cruciate ligament damage injury sustained.
Four trophies in two years for Liverpool has been mainly down to the 29-year-old stepping into the side and his clear leadership skills have bounced off the likes of Alexander-Arnold and matured the backline into a solid force which have achieved so much in so little time together.
Centre-Back- Sergio Ramos
The Spaniard has been fantastic as usual for the Real Madrid side that won La Liga once more as he continues to captain the team from the back and drive the team forward as the 34-year-old constantly impresses at the team he has been at for over 15 years.
For the first time in his career, the central-defender hit double figures in goals scored in La Liga as the defender turned into one of Real’s most prized possessions in terms of goals hitting the back of the net 11 times in the league and 13 times in all competitions.
Only Karim Benzema scored more than the defender which shows how much Real Madrid have relied on their captain to come in clutch in times of desperate need and to prove to the Madristas that their team are still capable of winning trophies even if they don’t have the best team in the world.
In the Champions League this season, Madrid had a slight scare at the start of their European journey with two losses to Shakhtar Donetsk and a draw to Borussia Monchengladbach, but the Champions League record-holders managed to win all three of their remaining matches in between and qualified into the Round of 16 in impressive fashion.
Sitting second in La Liga, Ramos will look to guide his team to yet another league title and could cap off another fine year for him with a double in the Champions League, but all in all the defender looks to not have stopped his form just yet and looks better than ever for Los Blancos.
Left-Back- Andrew Robertson
Three-quarters of the backline have been Liverpool players and it just shows how instrumental their defence has been to the success in the recent year.
Andy Robertson has made a rapid rise from the Scottish Premiership with Dundee to Premier League relegation with Hull City to now being a Premier League champion and a Champions League winner.
The 26-year-old similarly to his full-back partner, Alexander-Arnold, broke personal records as he recorded 12 assists in Liverpool’s Premier League winning campaign, one less than Trent but one more than his previous best of 11.
During the new 2020/21 campaign, Robertson has been once again influential with his assists and being ever-present in defence. The Scotsman has so far notched up five assists and one goal in 16 Premier League appearances for the Reds.
In a defence that misses the like of Joel Matip and Van Dijk, Jurgen Klopp relies on his full-back partnership to make sure his backline is still in check and continues to perform the way it has for the past couple of seasons.
Centre-Midfield- Joshua Kimmich
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Another player that just keeps on getting better with age is Joshua Kimmich. The German is now 25 and completes his move from right-back to central midfield.
He has developed into fantastic player one which can score and assist. Just like the full-backs of this team, Bayern Munich’s number six is heavily involved in the defensive aspect of his team as he usually he sits just in front of the defence as a defensive midfielder.
The German played in all 11 matches in Bayern’s Champions League triumph as the German giants secured their first European title since winning the Final at Wembley in 2013 beating rivals Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in a dramatic final that went down to the wire.
Bayern were unbeaten in their European campaign and it is mainly down to the defensive capabilities and the pure grit and determination of Kimmich. The German boads a three points per game with him in the Champions League squad showing how much of an integral part he played in the campaign.
Last season, they won the treble with a Champions League win, a Bundesliga title and German Cup to add to their massive collection of trophies.
This season, they’ve already won the UEFA Supercup and the German Supercup in what has been a fantastic year for the German side even due to the times we are in, Bayern were able to capitalise on rivals mistakes and swoop the much-needed trophies and cap off a superb few months.
Centre-Midfield- Kevin de Bruyne
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One of the best midfielders on the planet and even though his Manchester City side missed on the Premier League title, his individual brilliance in a City side that underperformed to their expectations.
The blue side of Manchester only won one trophy last season which was the Carabao Cup in which they defeated Aston Villa 2-1 at Wembley.
It did not stop KDB being the top assisted in the league with 20 and had the highest amount of goal involvements in the league with 33, four more than second-placed Mohamed Salah.
The midfielder has already notched up two goals and 11 assists in all competitions as the Citizens are slightly lower in the Premier League than they’d hoped as they sit four points behind league leaders Liverpool.
After a strong start in the Champions League though, City will hope to try and secure their first-ever European title as they progressed from the group stage unbeaten and face Borussia Monchengladbach in the Round of 16. De Bruyne will hope to be heavily involved in the competition that has eluded him a win it for the first time himself.
Centre-Midfield- Bruno Fernandes
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An absolute revelation since joining Manchester United. Bruno Fernandes has grown and grown and has quickly become one of the first players on the teamsheet for the Red Devils.
United’s January transfer signing back in 2020 came do England having played 17 games in Liga NOS and he scored eight goals and assisted seven times giving him a goal contributions every 0.88 matches meaning he was one of the more influential midfielders in the world at the time.
When United acquired him, the Portuguese Magnifico went on to feature 14 times in the Premier League that season and notching up the same stats as he did in the 17 games for Sporting during the first half of the season.
Giving him a goal contribution every 1.2 matches the midfielder transformed the Red Devils with his work ethic and his willingness to leave 100% out on the pitch.
Manchester United currently sit second in the Premier League and it is solely down to Bruno for getting them into that spot in the table. 11 goals and seven assists in 16 league games shows how much the club can rely on the midfielder and it will interesting to see where the Manchester club will finish at the end of the season
Right-Winger- Mohamed Salah
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Another very influential player starts in the right-winger position. Mohamed Salah has been a fantastic servant for Liverpool as he joins Robertson, Alexander-Arnold and van Dijk in a team that is filled with stars from all around the world.
The Egyptian King is close to reaching 200 appearances for the Merseyside club and what a few seasons he has had similar to the trio named previously.
In the Premier League winning campaign, Salah scored 19 goals and assisted ten goals as only KDB was better than the winger in goal contributions as the 29 G/A was four less than the Belgian midfielder.
This season, he has had a flying start with 13 goals and three assists to his name in just 16 league matches. Only one thing is on the Egyptians mind which is another Golden Boot award and another Premier League title as the Reds currently sit top of the top-flight and look to move clear as the season progresses.
Striker- Robert Lewandowski
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UEFA Supercup, German Supercup, German Cup, Bundesliga, Champions League, Top Scorer in the DFB Pokal, Champions League and Bundesliga, Footballer of the Year in Germany for 2020, UEFA’s Best Player in Europe and the FIFA’s Best Men’s Player of the Year for 2020.
What a year Robert Lewandowski has had it has been simply astonishing to see the Polish striker collect all those trophies and individual awards all in the space of 12 months.
He has completed his best goal scoring campaign in both the Champions League and the Bundesliga as he scored 15 goals in the European competition and 34 goals in the league. In total, the 2019/20 campaign consisted of Lewandowski scoring 55 goals and assisting ten times.
This season has had a similar successful start as 19 goals in 13 Bundesliga starts and three goals in four Champions League outings sees the Polish forward in pole position of grabbing more accolades this campaign.
The forward is not far away from a few high numbers in terms of goals. He is 66 goals away from securing 500 career goals, 45 goals away from scoring 300 Bundesliga goals and 32 strikes away from 300 Bayern Munich goals. Hopefully, the striker can continue his fine form as he doesn’t look like stopping these lightning goalscoring records at the age of 32.
Left-Winger- Lionel Messi
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The mini Argentine magician has tried to force his way out of Barcelona, hand in a transfer request but has had no luck in finding a club elsewhere for the time being.
The Barca legend had a fine season last campaign as he added to his assisting game with 22 and added on top of that 25 goals in La Liga as he secured top goalscorer in the league with that humble tally.
They ended up with no trophies and the Catalan club have been starved of silverware since 2018/19 as a mixture of managers and poor ownership have meant a lack of the trophies and that is not what a fantastic player like Lionel Messi wants.
Fifth in La Liga at the moment for Messi and co as they look to break out of this horrid nightmare and produce silverware for a club that deserves them.
Ten goals and nine assists for the winger in 19 games shows that he may seem uninterested and be wanting a move away but he will no doubt give his all for the team.
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