Three Wales players make UEFA Team of the Year shortlist

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 21 November 2016

Wales have three players in the running to make it into UEFA's Team of the Year, but Arsenal and Germany ace Mesut Ozil fails to make the 40-man shortlist.

Wales's Euro 2016 stars Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale have been included on the 40-man shortlist for UEFA's Team of the Year.

Ramsey and Allen are among the 12 Premier League players included, but there is no place for Arsenal and Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil.

Reigning English top-flight champions Leicester City are represented by Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante, the latter of whom now plies his club football for Chelsea.

Toby Alderweireld, Laurent Koscielny, Paul Pogba, Kevin De Bruyne, Dimitri Payet, Sergio Aguero, Alexis Sanchez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are the other Premier League nominees included.

The most represented club is Real Madrid, who have goalkeeper Keylor Navas, defenders Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos and Pepe, midfielders Luke Modric and Toni Kroos, and forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Bale in the running.

UEFA Team of the Year shortlist in full:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Keylor Navas (Real Madrid), Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon)

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hostspur) Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Leonardo Bonnuci (Juventus), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund), Juanfran (Atletico Madrid), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Pepe (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)

Midfielders: Joe Allen (Stoke), Kevin De Bruyne (Man City), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), N'Golo Kante (Chelsea), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Grzegorz Krychowiak (PSG), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Dimitri Payet (West Ham), Paul Pogba (Man Utd), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)

Forwards: Sergio Aguero (Man City), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man Utd), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Neymar (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal), Luis Suarez (Barcelona)