Eight Barca players nominated for UEFA Team of the Year

European champions Barcelona featured prominently in the 40-man shortlist for the UEFA Team of the Year announced yesterday.
Barca, who claimed their fifth European title after beating Juventus 3-1 in June's Champions League final, have eight representatives with the Serie A champions accounting for six.
Cristiano Ronaldo was included in the shortlist for the 12th straight time, having been named in the final 11 last year for a record eighth successive season.
Bayer Leverkusen's Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, 21, was the youngest player to make the list with veteran Italy and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon the oldest at 37.
Internet users have until January to register their votes on the UEFA website, with the Team of the Year revealed three days later.

List of nominated players:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (ITA/Juventus), Denys Boyko (UKR/Dnipro), Joe Hart (ENG/Manchester City), Manuel Neuer (GER/Bayern Munich)
Defenders: David Alaba (AUT/Bayern Munich), David Luiz (BRA/Paris SG), Diego Godin (URU/Atletico Madrid), Ricardo Rodriguez (SUI/Wolfsburg), Thiago Silva (BRA/Paris SG), Sergio Ramos (ESP/Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (ESP/Barcelona), Jerome Boateng (GER/Bayern Munich), Leonardo Bonucci (ITA/Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (ITA/Juventus), Dani Alves (BRA/Barcelona), Javier Mascherano (ARG/Barcelona)
Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (BEL/Manchester City), Eden Hazard (BEL/Chelsea), James Rodriguez (COL/Real Madrid), Yevhen Konoplyanka (UKR/Sevilla), Hakan Calhanoglu (TUR/Leverkusen), Arturo Vidal (CHI/Bayern Munich), Paul Pogba (FRA/Juventus), Ivan Rakitic (CRO/Barcelona), Grzegorz Krychowiak (POL/Sevilla), Andres Iniesta (ESP/Barcelona), Claudio Marchisio (ITA/Juventus), Marco Verratti (ITA/Paris SG)

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR/Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (POL/Bayern Munich), Lionel Messi (ARG/Barcelona), Luis Suarez (URU/Barcelona), Neymar (BRA/Barcelona), Thomas Mueller (GER/Bayern Munich), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE/Paris SG), Sergio Aguero (ARG/Manchester City), Antoine Griezmann (FRA/Atletico Madrid), Alexis Sanchez (CHI/Arsenal), Alvaro Morata (ESP/Juventus), Gareth Bale (WAL/Real Madrid).