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UEFA have revealed their 20-man squad of the season, with Liverpool being the dominant force in the team. Liverpool's representatives are:  Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Virgil van Dijk, in the defence, alongside Georginio Wijnaldum, Sadio Mane and goalkeeper Alisson. Ajax have five representatives in the squad - captain Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, David Neres, Hakim Ziyech and Dusan Tadic, while losing finalists Tottenham contribute Jan Vertonghen, Lucas Moura and Moussa Sissoko. 🌠 #UCL Squad of the Season 2018/19 🌠 UEFA's Technical Observers have selected their 20-man squad from this season's UEFA Champions League... 🙌 pic.twitter.com/OTCmSlp8KF — #UCLfinal (@ChampionsLeague) June 2, 2019 Barcelona who were ousted of the competition by Liverpool are represented by Lionel Messi and Ter Stergen (as spare goalkeeper).  Notoriously absent from the squad are players from PSG, Bayern, Manchester United and last year's title holders Real

Barcelona suffered a disgraceful Champions League exit in the second leg of the semi-finals at Anfield, to eventual Champions League winners, Liverpool, but their brightest defender Virgil van Dijk believes Lionel Messi deserves to win the Ballon d'Or this year. The former Celtic and Southampton star, Virgil, has been pivotal to Liverpool all season and had a sterling performance in the Reds' 2-0 UEFA Champions League final win over Tottenham Hotspur. In a press conference after the finals, he backed Messi to win the award, saying:  "I think Messi is the best player in the world. He should win the Ballon d'Or. So I'm not thinking of that. But if I win, I'll take it. Messi should win it though. He is the best in the world, whether he's in the final or not." Van Dijk joined Liverpool in January 2018 and has been nothing but remarkable throughout the year. He has won a number of individual awards for his displays in the Premier League this season