German World Champions Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and Jerome Boateng have all been nominated for the 2015 UEFA Team of the Year. The governing body of European football revealed the shortlist on Tuesday afternoon. Alongside the three German Bayern stars, their teammates David Alaba (Austria), Arturo Vidal (Chile) and Robert Lewandowski (Poland) are also among the 40 nominees.
Fellow Bundesliga players Ricardo Rodriguez (Switzerland) of VfL Wolfsburg and Leverkusen’s Hakan Calhanoglu (Turkey) are also shortlisted. Barcelona provide the most players, with Lionel Messi (Argentina), Luis Suarez (Uruguay) and Neymar (Brazil) among the candidates from the Champions League winners.
Cristiano Ronaldo is in the top 40 for the twelfth time in a row. The Portuguese set a record last season, becoming nominated in the Team of the Year for an eighth successive occasion. You can vote for your XI on the UEFA homepage.
Nominees at a glance
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern München), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy/Juventus), Denys Boyko (Ukraine/Dnipro), Joe Hart (England/Manchester City)
Defenders: Jerome Boateng, David Alaba (Austria/both Bayern München), David Luiz, Thiago Silva (both Brazil/both Paris Saint-Germain), Diego Godin (Uruguay/Atletico Madrid), Ricardo Rodriguez (Switzerland/VfL Wolfsburg), Sergio Ramos (Spain/Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Spain), Dani Alves (Brazil), Javier Mascherano (Argentina/all FC Barcelona), Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini (both Italy/both Juventus)
Midfielders: Hakan Calhanoglu (Turkey/Bayer Leverkusen), Arturo Vidal (Chile/Bayern), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (both Belgium/ Chelsea), James Rodriguez (Colombia/Real Madrid), Jewhen Konopljanka (Ukraine), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Poland/both Sevilla), Paul Pogba (France), Claudio Marchisio (Italy/both Juventus), Ivan Rakitic (Croatia), Andres Iniesta (Spain/both Barcelona), Marco Verratti (Italy/Paris)
Forwards: Thomas Müller, Robert Lewandowski (Poland/both Bayern), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Gareth Bale (Wales/both Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Luis Suarez (Uruguay), Neymar (Brazil/all Barcelona), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden/Paris), Sergio Aguero (Argentina/Manchester City), Antoine Griezmann (France/Atletico Madrid), Alexis Sanchez (Chile/Arsenal), Alvaro Morata (Spain/Juventus)