Football: UEFA assembles Team of the Year for 2017
Nearly 8.8 million votes by fans counted to select Europe's best 11 players last year
Ankara
By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun
ANKARA
European football's governing body announced the 11 best players in Europe for 2017 on Thursday.
UEFA's official website announced the group, assembled in a fantasy Team of the Year, drawing on 8.8 million votes from fans worldwide.
The top 11 includes superstars like Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi.
Italian team Juventus' legend Gianluigi Buffon was also selected for the team, with his teammate Giorgio Chiellini in the center-back spot.
Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos is also a center-back, along with his right-back teammate Marcelo.
Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian player Dani Alves was chosen by the fans for the right-back spot.
The team's midfielders include two more Real Madrid players, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
The other midfielders are both Belgians from England's Premier League: Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne.
As in previous years, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi grabbed the forward spots to round out the fantasy team.
The country that cast the most votes for the team was India, with around 8 percent of the total votes, followed by Poland and Turkey with around 5 percent each.
