Vítor Baía: My team of 2013
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
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"The best of the best" may top his list but there is certainly no lack of quality in the rest of former Portuguese international goalkeeper Vítor Baía's UEFA.com users' Team of 2013.
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Seven UEFA Champions League finalists make the cut in former Portugal goalkeeper Vítor Baía's UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2013. There is also room for a player who only gets better with age and a goalscoring machine who is quite simply "the best of the best".
One of a select group to have won the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, Baía also racked up ten Portuguese Liga titles with FC Porto and the Spanish crown with FC Barcelona. The 44-year-old, now a television commentator who has created a foundation to aid the underprivileged, helped his country to the UEFA EURO 2000 semi-finals and still holds the record for most minutes (1191) without conceding a goal in Portugal's top flight.
View Baía's choices below and submit your own selection before 13.00CET on Thursday 9 January.
Vote for your Team of the Year 2013
Manuel Neuer: A UEFA Champions League winner, Neuer is very important not only in terms of his contribution as a goalkeeper, but also his role in the overall defensive structure of the team.
Philipp Lahm: He is probably one of the most commanding and respected captains in the game. He provides Bayern with plenty of depth and is also extremely versatile.
Mats Hummels: Without doubt one of the best central defenders in the world. He was on the losing side in the UEFA Champions League final and is certainly the most important member of Dortmund's defence.
Branislav Ivanović: Never ceases to surprise and just gets better and better as the years go by. He has lost none of his influence on Chelsea's defence – he is becoming more crucial if anything.
David Alaba: Simply the best left-back in the world at present. Incredibly quick, he is also the most important defender for Bayern when it comes to the attacking part of their game.
Yaya Touré: There is no better box-to-box midfielder than him. Although his team didn't go far in the UEFA Champions League, he was hugely important in their domestic campaign. He also scored an amazing goal against FC Viktoria Plzeň this season.
İlkay Gündoğan: For me he is the biggest midfield revelation of 2013. He reached the UEFA Champions League final and carried a lot of responsibility with him despite still being very young.
Arjen Robben: Everybody pretty much knows what he is going to do with the ball, but that doesn't matter because he always finds a way to deliver. That's exactly what makes Robben so good. For me he was more influential for Bayern than Franck Ribéry, and we can't forget the fact he is a European champion.
Gareth Bale: He had an amazing season and it is impossible for me not to pick him after what he did at Tottenham Hotspur, as well as the the great impact he has made since signing for Real Madrid. Probably one of the best players in the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo: He scored goal after goal and was the most important player for both Real Madrid and Portugal. Proved once again that he is the best of the best.
Robert Lewandowski: Without him, Dortmund wouldn't have reached the UEFA Champions League final. He showed why he is one of the most complete strikers around.
Vítor Baía was speaking to Nuno Tavares.