All football lovers will agree, that 2016 has been
a very eventful year in the world of football, and
whether it was the EPL, Laliga, Euro Cup, Copa
America, Rio Olympics, Champions league and
even women's and youth tournaments, soccer
fanatics were glued to their Tv sets as they
watched their favorite players fight for glory on
the pitch.
Not surprisingly, no Nigerian player made the
list, but Mikel Obi made the substitute bench for
his exploits at Rio 2016, Ballon d'or winner
C.Ronaldo was included for his heroics at Euro
2016 with Portugal and champions league
success with Real Madrid while Jamie Vardy
starts upfront in my team of the year.
See the World football team of the year 2016
below, and say whether you agree or not (with
reasons)..
Formation : 4-3-3
Goalkeeper : David De Gea: His breathtaking
saves were the major reason Man U ended in
top 7 last season and also won the F.A cupand
what makes his success so remarkable is the
fact that he turned around to snub a Madrid
move and refocused on his Old Trafford career.
De Gea simply put, makes saves, dives and flies
that even birds could dream of, no wonder he's
been votes Man U's player of the season for
three years in a row.
Defenders : Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Wes Morgan,
Marcelo
Sergio Ramos' inclusion is no-brainer actually!
Apart from the fact he's a defensive stalwart, a
no-nonsense defender who can actually play
three different positions, his very crucial goals
for Real Madrid have helped the club win the
Champions league, Club World Cup and very
crucial matches. Wes Morgan together with Huth
helped Leicester city have a defensive line up
that ensured the won the EPL title. Morgan is
highly under-appreciated, but real football lovers
know a good defender when they see one.
Pepe, with his full throttle approach towards
defending, helped Portugal and Real Madrid win
the Euros and champions league while Marcelo
is undoubtedly still the best left full back in the
world.
Midfielders : N'Golo Kante, Kevin De Bruyne,
Iniesta
This was the hardest category to choose
because there are a lot of talented footballers
that play in midfield who deserve to be here but
aren't. De Bruyne can easily be classed among
the best midfielders in the world this 2016 for
his great performances with Belgium and most
especially Man City who he helped to win the
League cup.
Kante, the bedrock and solidity of Leicester city
in their title winning season is undoubtedly the
best defensive midfielder in world football at the
moment. He's now playing for Chelsea and the
likes of Mikel Obi, Matic and Oscar had to be
sacrificed because of how well he shields the
defence line for Chelsea, and France too! .
Iniesta, a midfield general is included for his title
winning forays in midfield for Barcelona even
though he will admit it's not been the best of
years for Barcelona or Spain.
Strikers : Cristiano Ronaldo, Jamie Vardy , Lionel
Messi
Jamie Vardy- from being a technician making
medical splints in 2006, to the man who led
Leicester city to a record breaking premier
league title, beating Van Nistelrooy's goals
record in the process.He deserves to be in this
team of the year list.
Lionel Messi had a not too good year judging by
his standards, but led Barca to
La Liga and Copa Del Rey titles. He retired from
national duty after failing to lead Argentia to
national glory at Copa America but later revoked
his retirement. For scoring 51 goals in 2016, he
makes the team of the year list.
Coach of the year : Claudio Ranieri (Leicester
city)/ Fernando Santos (Portugal)
Claudio Ranieri is tied with Fernando Santos in
this category for two reasons;
1. They could have achieved less and no one
would have complained or blamed them for
doing so.
2. They both won very important trophies with
squads that were average except one or two star
players. They injected the spirit of unity, passion
and never-say-die attitude into their players,
hence their team's success.
Player of the year : Cristiano Ronaldo (Real
Madrid/Portugal)- The Real Madrid player really
has no competition in the world of football this
year. Apart from winning the UEFA Champions
league and Euro Cup with Real Madrid and
Portugal respectively, he also won the Club
World Cup in Japan this December and has also
won the 2016 Ballon D'or award.
He also showed exceptional leadership qualities
during the Euro cup finals, as he came back to
the pitch to motivate/coach his teammates till
the last minute despite being stretchered off the
pitch for a serious knee injury. Exceptional
player!
Team of the year Substitutes/bench:
Laurent Koschielny (France/Arsenal),Gareth Bale
(Real Madrid/Wales), Antoinne Griezmann
(France/ Atl. Madrid), Iniesta (Barcelona/Spain),
Leonardo Bonnucci (Juventus/Italy), Luis Suarez
(Barcelona/Uruguay), Neymar (Barcelona/
Brazil), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal/Chile), Manuel
Neuer (B.Munich, Germany), Mikel Obi (Nigeria/
Chelsea), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City/ Algeria),
Paul Pogba (Juventus/Man U/ France)Luka
Modric (Real Madrid/Croatia), Andres Gomes
(Portugal/Barca). Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea/
Belgium), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG/ Man U/
Sweden)
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