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

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.

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.

Uefa Team of the Year 2017 – how the fans votes

• Gianluigi Buffon – Juventus and Italy (333,604 votes)
• Dani Alves – Juventus/Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil (340,819)
• Sergio Ramos – Real Madrid and Spain (588,315)
• Giorgio Chiellini – Juventus and Italy (295,842)
• Marcelo – Real Madrid and Brazil (558,495)
• Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City and Belgium (416,679)
• Toni Kroos – Real Madrid and Germany (345,494)
• Luka Modric – Real Madrid and Croatia (387,487)
• Eden Hazard– Chelsea and Belgium (303,376)
• Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona and Argentina (477,036)
• Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid and Portugal (444,430)