Real Madrid's dramatic 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid sealed the fabled
Decima triumph as the 2013-14 Champions League drew to a thrilling close
on Saturday in Lisbon.
There were records broken, upsets pulled
off and dramatic comebacks aplenty in an enthralling competition, and
the standout stars of the tournament this term have been rewarded with a
place in Goal's Team of the Season.
In goal is Atletico's on-loan star Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgian, who is yet to reach a decision on whether he will return
full-time to parent club Chelsea for next term, secured five clean
sheets in 12 matches in the tournament and was a model of consistency in
Atleti's surprise march to the final.
Our back four begins with Branislav Ivanovic,
who was part of an exemplary Blues defence which kept seven clean
sheets prior to their 3-1 semi-final second leg loss to Atletico. The
Serbian was a crucial cog in Jose Mourinho's solid side and even managed
to create six goalscoring chances from full-back.
In central defence, Sergio Ramos
earns a place after some colossal performances in the latter stages of
the tournament. The Spaniard was a rock at the back for Madrid,
particularly in the semi-final against Bayern Munich, against whom he
scored an impressive double in Germany. After a shaky start in the
final, Ramos became a vital springboard for Madrid's efforts to get back
into the game and his last-gasp header was fully deserved following his
Lisbon showing.
Alongside Ramos is Atletico stalwart Miranda.
The Brazilian was a rock for Simeone's side, particularly in the wins
over Barcelona and Chelsea, and his tremendous efforts in keeping
Madrid's attackers quiet for much of the first 100 minutes in Lisbon
meant he certainly did not deserve to be on the losing side.
Miranda's team-mate Filipe Luis
completes our back four, with the left-back notching a goal and an
assist to cap a hugely impressive campaign for the beaten finalists.
First up in our three-man midfield is Luka Modric.
The Croatian has established himself as one of Madrid's best players
under Carlo Ancelotti, creating close to 20 goalscoring chances and
maintaining a pass completion rate of more than 92 per cent throughout
the tournament.
In the middle, Philipp Lahm
just about earns the spot after a remarkable season playing in two
different roles for Bayern. Lahm, shifted into central midfield for much
of the campaign under Pep Guardiola, was exemplary on the ball and in
screening the defence against Manchester City in the group stage and was
at his brilliant best in switching between midfield and full-back
against Arsenal and Manchester United in the knockout rounds.
Finally, Angel Di Maria
completes the midfield trio, with the Argentine adapting to a central
role in fine style this season as he notched three goals and six assists
in the competition and put in a man-of-the-match showing in the final
in Lisbon with his electric bursts forward.
Our three-man attack begins with Marco Reus.
The Borussia Dortmund star enjoyed another impressive campaign in
Europe, notching five goals and three assists before Jurgen Klopp's side
were edged out by eventual winners Madrid in the quarter-finals. Reus
scored a double in the second leg to inflict the only defeat on the
Spanish side in this season's tournament.
The central striker is none other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic,
who lit up the first two rounds of the tournament with 10 goals in just
eight appearances for Paris Saint-Germain. The Sweden star was
sidelined for the return trip to Chelsea due to a hamstring injury, with
the French champions ultimately crashing out in his absence.
Finally, this season's top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo
secures the final spot in our XI after a quite remarkable campaign. The
Portugal captain broke the record for goals in the group stages with a
total of nine strikes following on from his opening-day hat-trick before
he went on to surpass Lionel Messi's best of 14 in one campaign with
his double against Bayern. A late penalty in Saturday's final took
Ronaldo to a record-setting 17 for one Champions League tournament as he
inspired Madrid - finally - to La Decima.
Sunday, 25 May 2014
Champions League Team of the Season: Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic lead all-star cast of 2013-14
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