The First Annual Readers Champions League XI - REVEALED!

By: Rob | May 17th, 2008

All week, we’ve literally recieved tens of votes, as we opened up the question to you, who has been this season’s best players in the Champions League, position for position? We let you vote, and below you can find out exactly who you voted in. So a quick reminder before you have a go at me for not including someone, it was entirely up to you.

A couple of quick notes though, before I reveal the team. Originally I was going to post the team in a traditional 442 nature. But fate, and common sense have presented me with a 451 formation. This is for three reasons:

i) Pretty much all the successful clubs in the Champions League this season have played some varient on the 451 turning into 433.
ii) Our winning striker recieved 70% of the vote, so it was sort of fair he got in on his own
iii) The three winning central midfielders were all tied on the same number of votes, which would have been impossible to pick between them.

But for this reason, I’ve also included a bench, so you can mix and match the formations to your will. You also voted in a manager, and he would probably have something to say about the style of play. So without further ado, here we go.

Petr Cech

Goalkeepers were the tightest vote this year, with just one vote seperating the two which will play out the final in Moscow on Wednesday. But you just about voted in Chelsea’s Number One, who despite having freak injury after freak injury has been pretty assured in the Chelsea goal.

Best Moment: Recovering from a nightmare start against Valencia when Chelsea really looked on the ropes. Kept them in the match long enough that Drogba could eventually win it.

Michael Essien

There were more than a few raised eyebrows at the continual playing of Essien at Right-Back in the Champions League, but he has showed time and time again, he doesn’t actually have a position, he plays everywhere. His finest game was against Liverpool in the second leg semi final, where he was huge, and covered pretty much every blade of grass.

Best Moment: The who game against Liverpool, absolutely huge, even from Right Back.

Philippe Mexes

Supreme in the group stages, Mexes was a big factor in Roma becoming the last Italian team left in the tournament. The Frenchmen is still a bit player for his country, but how much longer can he be ignored?

Best Moment: His performance at Old Trafford in the group stage - it was eventually undone by a bit of Rooney class, but he was the main reason Roma didn’t suffer as they did the season before.

Rio Ferdinand

This year, with Vidic really finding his feet alongside him, Rio has matured into Man United’s best player. Alright so he isn’t Ronaldo, but his leadership and his ability to mark world-class players out of big matches (hello Samuel Eto’o) has been as important to Man United as Ronaldo’s goals.

Best Moment: Scoring in Kiev. Always the first to celebrate, it was his second goal in 2 weeks, after scoring for England just before.

Patrice Evra

Voted in ahead of the sentimental choice who sits on the bench, Evra has been an important part of the rock that is Man United’s defence. They’ve conceeded so few goals this season, and Evra never lets down his attacking duty either - he’s the perfect realisation of Man United’s current really-attacking-at-home-ultra-defensive-away policy.

Best Moment: The second leg against Barca. The first leg he was shown up a couple of times by Messi, lesser men would have crumbled, but after a few challenges in the second leg, even Messi looked a bit predictable at Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Not exactly a shocking choice at Right-wing, but Ronaldo has earned it. Top scorer in the Champions League so far this season, he is proving there is more to him than the tricks and flicks. He’s started getting goals at big moments to - ask Lyon or Roma.

Best Moment: Take your pick; the goal against Sporting with which he refused to celebrate, the free-kick in the reverse fixture, the scrappy goal against Lyon that saw United through, or the power-header in Rome.

Cesc Fabregas

I was saying at the begining of this season, that it needs to be a big year for the Catalonia Kid, and boy has Cesc delivered. He completely came of age this season and has been the heartbeat of a side that overachieved so much in the first half of the season, that when they didn’t win anything, it looked like a failure. Class.

Best Moment: He came of age brilliantly in the 7-0 win against Slavia Prague in the group stage but really it has to be scoring in the San Siro no doubt.

Danielle De Rossi

The heartbeat of the Roma side, De Rossi has matured into a true leader in the absence of often-injured fellow-Roman Francesco Totti. De Rossi was vital to Roma’s charge in the Champions League this season - holding together the midfield so that the more attacking players could get forward and play the beautiful football they do. The next Roy Keane for sure.
Best Moment: Playing with a fever, De Rossi was everywhere against Real. Roma would not have got through without his first leg performance.

Steven Gerrard

Despite having ‘The worst game i’ve ever had in a Liverpool shirt’ against Arsenal, that you still voted in Steven Gerrard is a testament to him. He has had a knack of getting goals at important times - witness the pen in front of the Kop in the Quarter Final - and he practically dragged Liverpool through the group stage kicking and screaming after they looked like they might face an early exit.

Best Moment: The goal against Inter which finally broke down the 10-men Inter defence.

Lionel Messi

Technically he plays Right-Wing as well, but he is left footed, and has been voted in so far ahead of the other contenders, its only fair he gets the second wing berth. The only competitor with Ronaldo for best footballer in the world, Lil Leo has been dazzling in the Champions League all season. Where Ronaldo couldn’t get into the game against Barca, Leo still shone at half-fitness in the first leg, beautifully doing Patrice Evra time and time again.

Best Moment: Single handedly destroying Celtic, particularly that 1-2 with Deco. Sublime.

Fernando Torres

It seems a lifetime ago that El Nino wasn’t guarenteed a place in Rafa’s constant rotational policy - but it was only the start of the season. Torres has established himself, so well, so quickly in the Liverpool side its like he’s been there forever. Regardless of which team you support, its tough to think of a better striker in the world at the minute. He’ll set Euro 2008 alight.

Best Moment: he scored a few great goals, but the one against Arsenal was too important to ignore.

The Bench

Edwin Van der Saar

May have just missed out on a starting position, but VDS has been the rock at the back of the Man United defence. There’s maybe been a small worry about his kicking, but his shot stopping has been astonishing all year. Will visit yet another Champions League final on Wednesday.
Best Moment: A great save against Messi stops Barca getting into the Semi Final.

Poalo Maldini

One of the best players to ever grace the game, Maldini has constantly been the best player in a lacklustre Milan side. In fact, he was voted best player on the park in the loss against Arsenal by both the English and the Italian press. He has been astounding. We might not ever see him in the Champions League again, even if he does put off retirement another year, and it would be an incredible shame.
Best Moment - Standing in his own penalty area, he has two Arsenal players running at him. Instead of just blasting the ball to safety, Maldini beautifully turns them both. Divine.

Nemanja Vidic

Rio’s centre-half partner has been a ten thousend-fold improvement on the player he was when he joined Man United last season - in fact its hard to believe its the same player. Has been an absolute rock.
Best Moment - How much United worried about his absence when he got injured in Rome was a real sign of how much he means to the club.

Mirko Vucinic

Who’d have thought even Roma fans would have voted Vuci in a year ago? Not I, but since Mirko moved to a wide position (in a move that made us all question Luciano Spalletti’s sanity) he’s been brilliant, and what’s more, he’s actually been scoring more goals than ever before.
Best Moment: His injury time goal against Real might have been meaningless on paper, but try telling him that.

Michael Ballack

Ballack’s new role in Avram’s wishbone midfield has been absolutely essential to Chelsea’s revival. Of course Avram would never get any credit in the press for such a thing, but he has given Ballack a new lease of life when it looked as though he’d forever be Frank Lampard’s back up. Essential.

Best Moment: The incredibly important goal in the second leg against Fener put Chelsea through.

Didier Drogba

The top scoring striker in this season’s Champions League, and the only player who can catch Ronaldo realistically on Wednesday, Drogba has constantly been a thorn in the side of opponents. For so long he just looked like the poor-man’s Eto’o (attitude and all) but now will command a much bigger transfer fee than his fellow African in the summer.

Best Moment: After suffering a week of Rafa Benitez calling him a diver, Drogba reacted in the best way imaginable, scoring against Liverpool and then sardonically sliding on the pitch ala Klinsmann.

Karim Benzema

The young Frenchman has spectacularly come of age this term. Its no wonder that every manager wants him in thier side, his move to the centre after awhile at wide has proved a revelation.
Best Moment: His goal against Man United putting Lyon 1-0 up.

Sir Alex Ferguson
Just beating out Zico’s brave leadership of Fenerbahce, you voted in Sir Alex Ferguson as the man to manage this team. Beautifully attacking at home, anything for a draw away, United have really been about Ferguson again this year - and he approaches his second Champions League final as the favourite to get another medal.
Best Moment: He got alot of stick for his defensive display at Camp Nou, but no doubt it worked - Its United who are in the final.

Some Stats about the team

By Team:

Man United have 5 in the squad 3 in the team
Chelsea 4 in the squad, 2 in the team
Roma have 3 in the squad 2 in the team
Liverpool have 2 in the team
Barcelona have 1 in the team
Arsenal have 1 in the team
AC milan have 1 in the squad
Lyon have 1 in the squad

By Nationality
France 3
Italy 2
Spain 2
Engalnd 2
Germany 1
Ivory Coast 1
Serbia 1
Montenegro 1
Argentina 1
Czech Rep 1
Portugal 1
Holland 1
Ghana 1

And there you have it. Thank you for reading, thank you to everyone who voted, and hopefully I’ll see you all here Next Season!

Roll on the Final.