Pogba and many surprising names alongside Messi and Ronaldo in the best squad in Europe

Paul Pogba did not have a valuable season since joining Man United in the summer but he still has a place in the best squad in Europe.

According toCIES Football Observatory, the Man United midfielder was included in the squad because his performance statistics are “valuable and comparable” to other midfielders.

Pogba is highly rated in many important indicators.

The team is rated based on compactness, ball-winning ability, distribution, creating chances and dribbling, Pogba is rated as one of the three best defensive midfielders in the top 5 European leagues.

He scored 89 out of 100 points, earning him a place alongside Thiago Alcantara (90 points) and RB Leipzig's midfielder Naby Keita (88.5 points) in midfield.

Messi is not a surprising name.

There aren't many surprising names in this squad. Lionel Messi is the most notable with 93.5 points, occupying the right-wing attacking position.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the Ballon d'Or winner and FIFA World Player of the Year, was picked for the left-sided attacking position with 90 points.

The center-back position was reserved for Bayern Munich duo Javi Martinez (87 points) and Mats Hummels (86.5 points). Manuel Neuer was also not a surprise choice when with 88 points, he surpassed Villarreal goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo to enter the typical lineup.

Alex Sandro was a surprise but well deserved.

Same goes for Dries Mertens.

The surprises in the CIES squad include Alex Sandro, who beat Marcelo and David Alaba to take the left-back spot. There is also AS Roma's Bruno Peres, who beat many big names to take the right-back spot.

The biggest surprise was certainly Dries Mertens as he was chosen for the centre-forward position after a brilliant season for Napoli with 31 goals in 43 games in all competitions.

There is no place for Kevin de Bruyne despite his high score because CIES has chosen a 4-3-3 formation to announce.

CIES's best European squad.

According to Thethaovanhoa