The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) released the results of the positional awards UEFA champions league. The four awards were goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, and forward of the season.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who has played for Real Madrid for eight years, won the Forward of the Season and was named 2016/17 Men’s Player of the Year. The Portuguese winger had an impressive year in terms of leading his club and national team to many trophies and accomplishments. Most notably, Ronaldo led his team to the most recent Champions League title.

“The way Ronaldo played last season was incredible and he deserved the awards he achieved. The team really depended on him and really missed him when he didn’t play,” said soccer player, Brandon Bennington.

Luka Modric, who has played for Real Madrid for five seasons, won Midfielder of the Season. The Croatian midfielder dominated the center of the field with his impressive dribbling as well as play making skills.

“Modric has incredible vision and passing ability, the attacking players of Real Madrid may be talented, but they would be no where without a midfielder like Modric to supply them”Bennington said.

Sergio Ramos, current captain as well as 12-year veteran, was a barrier that could not be defeated due to his decisive tackles and world class defending.

“Ramos was by far the best defender in the Champions league last year. He stopped players from teams like Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, and Juventus, all of which have incredible goal scoring players” said Bennington.

Gianluigi Buffon, an Italian keeper playing for Juventus, was named the Goalkeeper of the Season. The veteran keeper, who is going into his 26 year of competitive soccer as a 39-year-old, has much experience in front of goal which constitutes for his impressive 9 clean sheets.

“Buffon’s ability showed in the fact that his team conceded the fewest amount of goals in the entire tournament. He is rarely called upon considering he has one of the best defensive lines in the world, but when he is he is always ready” said Bennington.

Each of the four players were selected by 32 coaches for each team in the tournament as well as 55 journalists that were handpicked by the European Sports Media (ESM). All members cast their own votes and coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

As a whole, these four players proved their dominance in the soccer community. Real Madridhase asserted dominance within Europe with three players receiving awards. Hard work, dedication, and determination guided these four players to where they are now and they will look towards more achievements as they continue playing in La Liga and Champions League.