UEFA announces their all-time line-up

CAIRO – 20 November 2017: UEFA announced on Monday their all-time line-up, only a week prior to announcing their line-up for this year. The team consisted of the players featured most frequently in the line-up over the past 16 years.

Spain dominated the line-up with six Spanish players, while Barcelona dominated the line-up with six players wearing the Blaugrana shirt.

UEFA chose Iker Casillas as a goalkeeper after he was featured in the line-up six consecutive times, from 2007 to 2012.

Barcelona’s Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol formed the defense alongside Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos and Bayern Munich’s Philipp Lahm. Puyol and Ramos appeared six times in the line-up, while Pique and Lahm appeared five years earlier.

UEFA chose Barcelona’s Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta alongside Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard in the midfield.

Iniesta appeared six times, Xavi appeared five times and Gerrard appeared only three times.

As expected, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi led the attacking line with Arsenal and Barcelona’s Thierry Henry.

Ronaldo is the most frequent player to appear in the line-up – 11 times. Messi appeared eight times, while Henry appeared five times.