Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi Headline 2016 Champions League Squad of the Year

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are among the stars who have been selected for UEFA's 18-man Champions League Squad of the Season.

The Champions League's official Twitter account shared the news on Monday:

Unsurprisingly, given that they reached the final, the squad contains six players from winners Real Madrid and as many stars from runners-up Atletico Madrid.  

Ronaldo's inclusion in particular was to be expected—he bagged 16 goals and four assists in the tournament this season as he helped Los Blancos lift "Undecima," their 11th top-level European title.

Per Bleacher Report UK, he has a knack for finishing as the competition's top goalscorer:

The 31-year-old isn't content to rest on his laurels, though, and is hoping for yet more success in the years to come, per the Champions League:

Normally Messi's place in the squad wouldn't raise an eyebrow, but as the Argentinian played just seven games and was outscored by Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller and matched by Zenit Saint Petersburg's Artem Dzyuba, he can perhaps count himself slightly fortunate to be there.

That said, Muller bagged his eight goals in 12 matches and missed a crucial penalty in the semi-final against Atletico, while Dzyuba's six goals were accrued in one more game than Messi.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Gareth Bale's inclusion is perhaps the most controversial among the forwards. He failed to score in the competition this year and the likes of Neymar, Kingsley Coman and Alexis Sanchez—who all managed to find the net at least twice—got more than his four assists.

It is perhaps the timing of the Welshman's contributions that earned him a place—it was his effort that Fernando turned into his own net in the semi-final with Manchester City and his header that Sergio Ramos scrambled over the line to open the scoring in the final, not to mention he stepped up and scored his penalty in the shootout.

Squawka Football provided the stats behind his performance in the final:

Further back, Atletico were rewarded for their outstanding defensive play with two defenders—Diego Godin and Juanfran—and goalkeeper Jan Oblak making the team.

Los Rojiblancos shipped just eight goals in the whole tournament as they fought and scrapped their way into the final, and they are also represented in the squad by midfielders Gabi and Koke and forward Antoine Griezmann.

Real's Ramos and Marcelo complete the defence along with Thiago Silva, who is Paris Saint-Germain's only representative. Andres Iniesta joins Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in an all-La Liga midfield.

Indeed, just three players—Silva, Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer—represent teams other than Real, Atletico and Barca, which reflects the dominance Spain have enjoyed in Europe for several years, while England have not one player in the squad.

The Spanish trio will almost certainly be contesting the latter stages of next year's competition, so there may well be a similar breakdown of teams represented once again.