European XI of the Season for 2017/18

Central Midfield: Sergio Busquets (FC Barcelona)

Busquets' tackling is second to none

Sergio Busquets is a midfielder who sometimes flies under the radar in Barcelona's star-studded lineup. He is not renowned for spectacular ball skills, he doesn't score a lot of goals, and doesn't assist many either.

However, he allows his teammates to do so by being one of the hardest workers on the pitch. Busquets makes the defensive midfield role look effortless, something that almost no other player in the world can do the way he does.

The position is almost synonymous with battling, which makes Busquets' approach even more impressive. The Spanish international averaged the second most passes per game behind Real Madrid's Toni Kroos and had an average rating 7.26 from whoscored.com throughout this La Liga campaign.

The BT Sports panel, featuring Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, after Barcelona's Champions League match against Chelsea summed up just how highly experts and fellow footballers think of him:

With increasing age and experience the Spaniard only continues to get better and has become one of the first names on the teamsheet at the Catalan outfit and will become increasingly important while they look for Iniesta's replacement.

Busquets has been exceptional in this campaign and his aura on the pitch, paired with the ability to make one of the hardest positions in football look so easy, earn him a spot in our European Team of the Season.

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Honourable Mention: Casemiro (Real Madrid)

This was a close call and it pretty much came down to personal preference. Casemiro is a true midfield warrior and he fills the same role as Busquets does at Barcelona's arch-rivals.

The Blaugrana's impressive season, along with his nonchalant style earned Busquets the call-up.