UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2013 revealed

After a record tally of more than 6.3 million votes were cast in the UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2013 poll, the final XI features four players from FC Bayern München and a record eighth appearance for Cristiano Ronaldo.

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2013
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern München & Germany)
Defender: Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München & Germany)
Defender: Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain & Brazil)
Defender: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid CF & Spain)
Defender: David Alaba (FC Bayern München & Austria)
Midfielder: Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur FC/Real Madrid CF & Wales)
Midfielder: Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund & Germany)
Midfielder: Mesut Özil (Real Madrid CF/Arsenal FC & Germany)
Midfielder: Franck Ribéry (FC Bayern München & France)
Forward: Zlatan Ibrahimović (Paris Saint-Germain & Sweden)
Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF & Portugal)

Three players have earned a debut in the 13th annual selection, picked from a shortlist of 40 chosen by UEFA.com staff writers on the basis of their performances for a European club or national side in 2013. That trio all starred in the UEFA Champions League final between Bayern and Dortmund: Neuer, Alaba – the first Austrian to figure – and Reus, BVB's maiden representative.

By contrast, Ronaldo is involved for an unprecedented seventh time in a row but, for the first time since 2007, is not partnered up front by Lionel Messi, pipped in the vote by Ibrahimović. The Sweden striker is joined by Paris colleague Silva, included for the third year running and the only non-European selected.

The other two defenders were in the 2012 XI: Ramos and Alaba's club-mate Lahm, who received the most votes. The midfield contains two men who switched clubs in the summer: Özil, who left Madrid for Arsenal, and the man who transferred to the Santiago Bernabéu from Tottenham, Bale. They link up with Reus and Ribéry, whose first appearance since 2008 comes in addition to being named 2012/13 UEFA Best Player in Europe.

Users were invited to decide their favoured formation – they opted for 4-4-2, the system used as a default for the first 11 Teams of the Year and also topping the poll in 2012. The 6,310,237 votes were cast by more than 525,000 visitors, surpassing 2012 when 5.3 million selections were made. Almost 86,000 of this year's picks were carried out directly via the official UEFA Champions League Twitter page.

Barcelona have no player for the first time since 2003 although their total of 38 all-time representatives remains unmatched; Madrid are now within nine of that particular statistic, however. The Bundesliga is the most represented league for the first time, that status having belonged to the Spanish Liga since 2007. In terms of where the votes originated, the most visitors to the Team of the Year section came from Portugal (137,521), with Germany next and then Poland.

Continuing its support for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), UEFA will, for a seventh time, set aside €100,000 for a player voted into the UEFA.com users' Team of the Year to present to the ICRC.

The UEFA.com users' Team of the Year is not intended to rival more established awards and does not bear the official UEFA imprimatur.

Past teams

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2012
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF & Spain); Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid CF & Spain), Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona & Spain), Thiago Silva (AC Milan/Paris Saint-Germain), Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München & Germany); Andrea Pirlo (Juventus & Italy), Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona & Spain), Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona & Spain), Mesut Özil (Real Madrid CF & Germany); Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF & Portugal)

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2011
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF & Spain); Daniel Alves (FC Barcelona), Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona & Spain), Thiago Silva (AC Milan), Marcelo (Real Madrid CF); Arjen Robben (FC Bayern München & Netherlands), Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona & Spain), Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona & Spain), Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur FC & Wales); Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF & Portugal) [voting for coach ended]

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2010
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF & Spain); Maicon (FC Internazionale Milano), Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona & Spain), Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona & Spain), Ashley Cole (Chelsea FC & England); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF & Portugal), Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona & Spain), Wesley Sneijder (FC Internazionale Milano & Netherlands), Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona & Spain); Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), David Villa (Valencia CF/FC Barcelona & Spain). José Mourinho (FC Internazionale Milano/Real Madrid CF)

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2009
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF & Spain); Daniel Alves (FC Barcelona), John Terry (Chelsea FC & England), Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona & Spain), Patrice Evra (Manchester United FC & France); Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC/Real Madrid CF & Portugal), Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona & Spain), Kaká (AC Milan/Real Madrid CF), Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona & Spain); Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Zlatan Ibrahimović (FC Internazionale Milano/FC Barcelona & Sweden). Josep Guardiola (FC Barcelona)

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2008
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF & Spain); Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid CF & Spain), John Terry (Chelsea FC & England), Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona & Spain), Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München & Germany); Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC & Portugal), Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona & Spain), Cesc Fàbregas (Arsenal FC & Spain), Franck Ribéry (FC Bayern München & France); Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC & Spain). Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United FC)

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2007
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF & Spain); Daniel Alves (Sevilla FC), Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan & Italy), John Terry (Chelsea FC & England), Eric Abidal (Olympique Lyonnais/FC Barcelona & France); Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC & Portugal), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC & England), Kaká (AC Milan), Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan & Netherlands); Zlatan Ibrahimović (FC Internazionale Milano & Sweden), Didier Drogba (Chelsea FC). Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United FC)

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2006
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus & Italy); Gianluca Zambrotta (FC Barcelona & Italy), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid CF & Italy), Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona & Spain), Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München & Germany); Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC & England), Cesc Fàbregas (Arsenal FC & Spain), Kaká (AC Milan), Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona); Thierry Henry (Arsenal FC & France), Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelona). Frank Rijkaard (FC Barcelona)

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2005
Petr Čech (Chelsea FC & Czech Republic); Cafu (AC Milan), John Terry (Chelsea FC & England), Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona & Spain), Paolo Maldini (AC Milan); Luis García (Liverpool FC & Spain), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC & England), Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona), Pavel Nedvěd (Juventus & Czech Republic); Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelona), Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan & Ukraine). José Mourinho (Chelsea FC)

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2004
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus & Italy); Cafu (AC Milan), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea FC & Portugal), Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan & Italy), Ashley Cole (Arsenal FC & England); Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC & Portugal), Maniche (FC Porto & Portugal), Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona), Pavel Nedvěd (Juventus & Czech Republic); Thierry Henry (Arsenal FC & France), Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan & Ukraine). José Mourinho (Chelsea FC)

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2003
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus & Italy); Paulo Ferreira (FC Porto & Portugal), Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan & Italy), Paolo Maldini (AC Milan), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid CF); Luís Figo (Real Madrid CF & Portugal), David Beckham (Real Madrid CF & England), Zinédine Zidane (Real Madrid CF & France), Pavel Nedvěd (Juventus & Czech Republic); Thierry Henry (Arsenal FC & France), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United FC & Netherlands). José Mourinho (FC Porto)

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2002
Rüstu Reçber (Fenerbahçe SK & Turkey); Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona & Spain), Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan & Italy), Cristian Chivu (AFC Ajax & Romania), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid CF); Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan & Netherlands), Michael Ballack (FC Bayern München & Germany), Zinédine Zidane (Real Madrid CF & France), Damien Duff (Blackburn Rovers FC & Republic of Ireland); Thierry Henry (Arsenal FC & France), Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF). Senol Günes (Turkey)

UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2001
Santiago Cañizares (Valencia CF & Spain), Cosmin Contra (Deportivo Alavés/AC Milan & Romania), Sami Hyypiä (Liverpool FC & Finland), Patrik Andersson (FC Bayern München/FC Barcelona & Sweden), Bixente Lizarazu (FC Bayern München & France); David Beckham (Manchester United FC & England), Patrick Vieira (Arsenal FC & France), Zinédine Zidane (Juventus/Real Madrid CF & France), Kily González (Valencia CF); Thierry Henry (Arsenal FC & France), David Trezeguet (Juventus & France). Gérard Houllier (Liverpool FC)