Quotes from voters in end of season AP Global Football 10
LONDON (AP) - Quotes from voters in the end of season Associated Press Global Football 10
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Mike McGrath, The Sun, England
"Barcelona being crowned best team in the world is not a surprise but Lionel Messi not being the top player is. Just imagine if Luis Suarez wasn't banned for biting - he might have pipped Messi last season, too."
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Aurelio Capaldi, RAI Sport, Italy
"Leicester City's triumph in the Premier League remains the best football story of the season as it reminds us that sometimes the impossible happens."
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Federico Giammaria, La Voz, Argentina
"That Barcelona has been the best team for our survey speaks of the power of the game on the power of the results. Undoubtedly, Luis Enrique's team gave us the best of the year but has not won the Champions League."
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Ubiratan Leal, trivela.com, Brazil
"It was a season of fairytales with teams like Leicester in the Premier League and, in some level, Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. Although earning hard fought victories was good for standings, it was not that impressive in a week by week performance analysis."
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Shintaro Kano, Kyodo news agency, Japan
"Barcelona's (Lionel) Messi, (Luis) Suarez and Neymar trio accounted for 90 of the club's 112 goals in the league, Suarez netting 40 of them and quietly leading the team with 16 assists alongside Messi. With 60 goals in all competitions, Suarez had the best season of his career - and fully deserved all the votes."
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Manos Staramopoulos, Dimocratia, Greece
"I think since January, the season belongs to Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, who took over at a critical juncture and led the conquest of the biggest trophy in Europe, if not the world, the Champions League."
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Marco Monteverde, News Corp. Australia
"How refreshing to see a team like Leicester firmly entrenched in the top 10. It was a great effort to win the English Premier League title and undoubtedly football's feel-good story of the season."
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Umaid Wasim, Dawn Newspaper, Pakistan
"Luis Suarez was Barcelona's main man this season, and deserves top spot after ending the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi duopoly. Ronaldo, though, was the star of the Champions League as he helped Real win their 11th European Cup. The rest were very prolific, too."
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Soren-Mikael Hansen, Politiken, Denmark
"Efficiency before beauty must be the essence of the season. Only the fewest will deny that Barcelona at the team's peak played the most beautiful version of football in the world orchestrated by 'The Terrific Trio' (Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar) in front."