uefa.com Team of the Year 2009 announced

002 – 30% more users cast their votes

The uefa.com users' Team of the Year 2009 has been announced today, with players from UEFA Champions League winners FC Barcelona dominating the selection. Almost four million votes were cast by more than 320,000 users, whose resulting dream team features five members of the Barcelona side that lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in May 2009.

Central defender Carles Puyol, who was also voted captain of the 2009 Team of the Year and who is chosen in the annual selection for the fifth time, is joined in defence by team-mate Daniel Alves at right-back. Xavi Hernández was the pick in the middle of the park with Andrés Iniesta lining up on his left whereas Lionel Messi amassed almost 250,000 votes to be named the first-choice striker.

The Team of the Year's defence is completed by goalkeeper Iker Casillas, John Terry and Patrice Evra. In midfield, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká, now both with Real Madrid CF, line up next to Xavi and Iniesta. Up front, Messi is partnered by his current Barcelona colleague Zlatan Ibrahimović. Overseeing this talented blend is the winning coach from Rome in May, Josep Guardiola.

UEFA will present a cheque for €100,000 to the captain of the uefa.com users' Team of the Year, to be donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). UEFA began its partnership with the ICRC when it started to support its anti-landmine campaign in 1997. This will be third time that the ICRC will benefit from the cheque offered by UEFA in relation to the selection of the uefa.com users Team of the Year. All monies donated have gone to the Score for the Red Cross campaign in support of the ICRC rehabilitation project for landmine victims in Afghanistan, providing them with artificial limbs, physiotherapy and vocational training.

uefa.com users' Team of the Year 2009:
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF); Daniel Alves (FC Barcelona), John Terry (Chelsea FC), Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona), Patrice Evra (Manchester United FC); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF), Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona), Kaká (Real Madrid CF), Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona); Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Zlatan Ibrahimović (FC Barcelona). Josep Guardiola (FC Barcelona).

The previous editions of the uefa.com users' Team of the Year can be found at: http://www.uefa.com/fanzone/TeamOfTheYear/history/index.html