Turkish star Arda Turan on UEFA Team of the Year shortlist

Atletico Madrid's Turkish international Arda Turan was included in the shortlist for the Team of the Year, European football's administrative body, the Union of European Football Associations, announced Tuesday.

Arda Turan is credited with helping his team to win Spanish La Liga title, the most important championship in Spain, last season.

Football fans around the world are able to create their own team by voting on the union website UEFA.com, and the deadline for the polls is January 6. Moreover, fans can choose their own formation, as they did last year.

The Team of the Year will be announced on January 9. There are 40 candidates from 19 countries and 14 clubs.

The Team of the Year list includes:

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Beto (Sevilla).

Defenders: David Alaba, Medhi Benatia, Jerome Boateng, Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Sergio Ramos, Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Diego Godín, Miranda (Atletico Madrid), Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Ezequiel Garay (Zenit), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund).

Midfielders: James Rodriguez, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Arda Turan, Koke (Atletico Madrid), Arjen Robben, Xabi Alonso (Bayern Munich), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Angel Di Maria (Manchester United), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Yaya Toure (Manchester City).

Forwards: Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi, Neymar (Barcelona), Diego Costa (Chelsea), Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal), Carlos Tevez (Juventus), Jonatan Soriano (Red Bull Salzburg).