UEFA.com Team of the Year 2010 announced

003 – Almost 5 million votes cast

The UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2010 has been announced today, with the selection featuring six players from FIFA World Cup winners Spain. Almost five million votes were cast by more than 410,000 users.

Central defender Carles Puyol, who was also voted captain of the 2010 Team of the Year and who is chosen in the annual selection for a record sixth time, is joined by compatriots Iker Casillas, Gerard Piqué, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and David Villa.

UEFA Champions League winners FC Internazionale Milano have two players in the team in right-back Maicon and attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder, while their former coach José Mourinho, now in charge of Real Madrid CF, was the overwhelming choice as coach, the fourth time he has been selected.

Completing the selection are left-back Ashley Cole of Chelsea FC, who was previously selected in 2004, Real Madrid CF's Cristiano Ronaldo – selected for the fourth successive year – at right midfield and FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, who received the most individual votes.

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 2010:
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF); Maicon (FC Internazionale Milano), Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona), Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona), Ashley Cole (Chelsea FC); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF), Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona), Wesley Sneijder (FC Internazionale Milano), Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona); Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), David Villa (FC Barcelona). José Mourinho (Real Madrid CF).

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