Uefa Team of the Year 2017: Neymar is left out after Messi and Ronaldo get picked

Neither Neymar nor PSG teammate Edinson Cavani made it into the Uefa Team of the Year

(Image credit: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

published 12 January 2018

A record 8.8 million votes has decided the 2017 Uefa Team of the Year. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been included, but there’s one major player missing – the world’s most expensive footballer.

Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo: football’s great rivalry

Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil star Neymar failed to make the cut after fans voted for Messi and Ronaldo to take the two striker positions in the Uefa team.

The vote saw fans choose from a shortlist of 50 players and select their preferred positions. In a 4-4-2 formation, chosen 459,797 times, stars from Champions League winners Real Madrid dominated the line-up with five of them getting the nod.

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Ronaldo was picked for a record 12th time while Real defender Sergio Ramos received the most votes with 588,315. Fellow defender Marcelo received the second-highest number of votes while Real midfielders Toni Kroos and Luka Modric were also selected.

Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, 39, has extended his record as the oldest ever player to make the team. Premier League and Belgian stars Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) and Eden Hazard (Chelsea) were also included for the first time.