Ronaldo IN, Messi OUT: EA's team of the European knockout stages

As the continent’s biggest club competitions near their conclusions, the video game company put together an enticing starting XI of the top players

Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Kylian Mbappe form the mouth-watering attack of EA Sports’ team of the European knockout stages.

Ronaldo slowing down but still incredible

The Champions League and Europa League quarter-finals were full of excitement, with Real Madrid, Atletico, Juventus and Monaco progressing to the last four of the continent’s most prestigious competition, while Ajax, Manchester United, Lyon and Celta remain in the secondary tournament.

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EA have picked the best players from the knockout rounds of each competition and combined them into one excellent starting XI.

Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus); Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Gustavo Cabral (Celta Vigo), Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich), Thiago (Bayern Munich), Casemiro (Real Madrid); Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Kylian Mbappe (Monaco), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), and Paulo Dybala (Juventus) make up the attacking starting XI, which lines up in a 3-3-4 formation.

The strength of the side does not end there, however, as Kasper Schmeichel, Iago Aspas, Leander Dendoncker, Anderson Talisca, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette make up the bench.

And notable mentions also went to Celta’s Hugo Mallo, Genk midfielder Pozuelo and team Omar Colley, Vincent Aboubakar of Besiktas and Ajax’s hero against Schalke, Nick Viergever.