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#2 La Liga XI
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Claudio Bravo: Bravo had to fill in the big boots vacated by Victor Valdes and he did that in style by breaking the La Liga record for longest period without conceding a goal and he also rightfully won the Zamora award.
Dani Alves: Alves was on the verge of leaving Barcelona at the end of the season when his contract expired, but his incredible season for Barcelona which reminded many of his peak years, eventually forced Barcelona to offer him a contract extension which the Brazilian accepted.
Nicolas Otamendi: Otamendi was the leader in Valencia’s defense with his crunching tackles and fearless aerial duels. He was crucial to helping Valencia return to the Champions League and he even scored six goals, of which two came in the last two games of the season.
Gerard Pique: Pique is yet another Barcelona player who was able to get back to their best form under Luis Enrique. The Spaniard fought hard to make the team despite being dropped in the initial stages, but he returned as leader in Barcelona’s back four.
Jose Gaya: Gaya is a pacy full back who enjoys going forward and yet is astute in defence, just like Juan Bernat and Jordi Alba before him at Valencia. His overlapping runs are a treat to watch and, at the tender age of 20, he is already attracting interest from several clubs.
Grzegorz Krychowiak: Krychowiak’s signing is an example of how effective Sevilla’s scouting and signings are despite losing key players over the years. The Pole was not a like for like replacement for Ivan Rakitic, but he was a leader in midfield and was key to Sevilla’s successful defense of the Europa League.
Ivan Rakitic: The Croatian added a new dimension to Barcelona’s midfield with his lung-bursting runs, his long balls and his physicality. His performances in big games have been mesmerizing and he finished the season with the opening goal in the UEFA Champions League final.
James Rodriguez: There were many who questioned the signing of James Rodriguez, but the Colombian put all doubts to rest with 13 goals and 13 assists in 29 games while having to adapt to a new role in midfield.
Cristiano Ronaldo: The Portuguese had to finish the season without a major trophy to add to his cabinet, but on a personal level it was one of his best seasons as he scored 48 goals in the league – two more than his previous best from the 2010/11 season.
Antoine Griezmann: When Atletico Madrid lost Diego Costa, the first major question was how they would account for his goals, but their summer signing Antoine Griezmann proved to be the answer with 22 league goals which accounted for 33% of his team’s goals.
Lionel Messi: Although Messi finished the season with fewer goals than Ronaldo; this was probably his best season for Barcelona. The Argentina reverted back to a right wing role on several occasions and acted as a playmaker on other occasions, but still finished the season with 43 goals and 18 assists.
Subs: Diego Alves, Jordi Alba, Diego Godin, Javier Mascherano, Dani Parejo, Neymar, Carlos Bacca
Manager: Luis Enrique (Barcelona)
