Champions League Team Of The Season

Posted Wednesday, May 26, 2010 by Goal.com

Goal.com's editors put their heads together to come up with the best in show from this season's edition of Europe's premier club competition...

Best Formation: 4-4-2

Goalkeeper:

Hugo Lloris - Olympique Lyonnais (Castrol Ranking 20)

The Frenchman continues his quest to be recognised as the hier to Gianluigi Buffon as the best goalkeeper in the world. Lloris provided a sturdy base for a transitory Lyon to progress all the way to the semi-finals. He excelled with spectacular saves, bravery and man of the match displays before les Gones capitulated against FC Bayern.

Defence:

Daniel Alves - Barcelona (16)

Who'd be Dunga? It's up to the Brazil coach to choose either Alves or Maicon for his World Cup starting XI. The Inter man has the nod at international level but the Barca defender makes it into Goal.com's Champions League XI. Quite simply, Barcelona would not be permitted to be Barcelona without Alves in their line-up. He has filled two positions all season, right-back and right-sided midfielder. Workrate, desire and stamina are three of Alves' most prominent attributes. He can also play a bit too.

Lucio - Inter (201)

Twelve months after seeing his term at Bayern Munich come to an end the devout Christian is a treble winner with Inter. His unique brand of no-nonsense defending and swashbuckling dribbling marks him out as one of the most recognisable centre-backs in world football. His Champions League campaign has featured emphatic dominations of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Didier Drogba among others. A giant and a leader of immense stature.

Michael Ciani - Girondins de Bordeaux (82)

The deposed French champions built methodical momentum throughout the group stages, dropping only two points on the way to topping their pool. Coming into the knockout round, Girondins had the best defensive record in the competition and that was thanks in no small part to Ciani. The centre-back also featured at the business end too, netting three strikes en route to the quarter-finals before their Champions League campaign, like their Ligue 1 season, shuddered to a disappointing end.

Javier Zanetti - Inter (396)

Finally a Champions League medal for the multi-decorated Argentinian. His 15 years at Inter have produced honour after honour but none will have felt as good as this year's European triumph. The veteran was not included as a sentimental selection either, playing every minute of the campaign in a variety of positions. Jose Mourinho rates his skipper as the most important player at the club and so it proved as the captain mastered the likes of Milos Krasic, Lionel Messi and others through the tournament. Thoroughly deserved for one of the game's greatest servants.

Midfield:

Xavi Hernandez - Barcelona (22)

Xavi completed more passes than the entire Inter team in the second leg of their semi-final. That tells the story of the metronome's season. The Spain international made himself available for every pass and dictated the tempo of every game he played. His displays against Arsenal in the quarter-finals should be taught as lessons on how to play centre midfield. The best midfielder in the world deserved more from this tournament as he proved to be Barca's most influential player.

Bastian Schweinsteiger - Bayern Munich (180)

It would do Xavi a disservice to compare any other player to him - he has set himself that far apart from the competition. However, there can be no denying that 'Schweini' has fulfilled a Xavi-like role for Bayern this season. The German international came into the season as a novice in his position and established himself as FCB's go-to guy in midfield as the term wore on. Through his pass completion, tenacity and strength, Schweinsteiger gave a strong indication of what is to come from him in the future. A wonderful season and a shame that it ended in defeat.

Wesley Sneijder - Inter (137)

Began the season as a Real Madrid cast-off and ended it lifting the Champions Leage trophy at the Bernabeu. Football throws up some delicious narratives sometimes. Sneijder took no time to adapt to life in Milan and despite a few injury interruptions became Jose Mourinho's favourite. His playmaking was second-to-none on the way to the final - the second leg of the quarter-finals against Chelsea being his Magnum Opus. However, it was also his vital interventions in the cold of Ukraine and Russia that helped drag Inter all the way.

Arjen Robben - Bayern Munich (10)

If the form of Sneijder and Robben is anything to go by then the Netherlands stand a strong chance of going deep at the upcoming World Cup. Like his Dutch stablemate, Robben has been the integral cog in his team's attacking wheel during this season's Champions League campaign after being shunned at the Bernabeu. Key strikes against Fiorentina, Manchester United and Lyon took an unfancied Bayern to the final but that only tells half the story. He remained injury free for most of the term and played some of the best football of his career.

Attack:

Ivica Olic - Bayern Munich (17)

Elegant, calm and composed. None of these adjectives describe the playing style of Ivica Olic. The Croatian has an insatiable appetite for work, as best evidenced by his late goal at the Allianz Arena against Manchester United when he picked the pocket of Patrice Evra. When the time came for a Bayern striker to step up to the plate during the Champions League campaign it was not the €30m Mario Gomez who did so; instead it was the modest free-signing from Hamburg. Olic was the man to net the vital goals againt Juventus, United and Lyon and has elbowed his way to the top of the FCB striking order.

Diego Milito - Inter (150)

It's not every player who enjoys his 'break-out' season approaching the age of 31. But that is exactly what has happened with 'il Principe', who must now be considered 'il Re'. Has gone about his business for the past decade or so with quiet diligence but has cast a great shadow over his striking peers this season. The Argentinian has scored against the champions of England, Spain and Germany in the competition and has proven to be the biggest of big game players. A wonderful double in the Bernabeu was taken with a nonchalant calm and, bearing in mind his Coppa Italia and Serie A achievements, must put him into the reckoning for the 2010 Ballon d'Or. Diego Maradona - this man must start at the World Cup.

Line-Up

Lloris

Alves Lucio Ciani Zanetti

Sneijder Xavi Schweinsteiger

Robben

Olic Milito