UEFA’s website announced their 2012 team of the year yesterday with, for the first time, no players from the English Premier League in the all-star line-up.

UEFA said a record 5.3 million votes had been cast by nearly half a million users of www.uefa.com, 20 per cent more than a year ago, with eight players named from clubs in Spain’s La Liga.

The uefa.com team of the year, now in its 12th edition, does not bear the official UEFA imprimatur but is popular among fans.

Barcelona and Real Madrid had four players each and Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta was chosen by nearly three out of every four voters.

The two clubs also had eight players in last year’s list.

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ro-naldo, who would line up alongside Barcelona goal-machine and world player of the year Lionel Messi in the fantasy selection, and Iker Casillas made the team for the sixth year in a row.

Users were also asked to choose their favourite formation and came up with 4-4-2, the default system for the previous 11 editions.

Fans’ selection

1. Iker Casillas (R. Madrid)
2. Sergio Ramos (R. Madrid)
3. Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
4. Thiago Silva (Milan/PSG)
5. Philipp Lahm (B. Munich)
6. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
7. Xavi Hernández (Barcelona)
8. Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)
9. Mesut Ozil (R. Madrid)
10. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
11. Cristiano Ronaldo (R. Madrid)

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