Media Release Date: 12/01/04 Communiqué aux médias No. 002 Medien-Mitteilung uefa.com Team of 2003 announced Milan, Madrid and Porto to the fore in fans’ selection UEFA today announced the www.uefa.com users’ Team of 2003. Almost one and a half million votes were cast in the four weeks of voting before the polls closed on Friday 9 January 2004. The resulting selection is a mix of superstar names and relatively unfamiliar faces. UEFA Champions League winners Mi lan AC and UEFA Cup winners FC Porto are both rewarded for their success in 2003, although Real Madrid CF, despite relinquishing their UEFA Champions League title, supply four of the final 12. Echoing his recent selection as European Footballer of the Year, Pavel Nedved received the highest percentage of votes in any category, with almost 65% of the votes in the left-midfield position. The FC Porto coach José Mourinho also polled over 60% to win the coach category. His Porto charge Paulo Ferreira caused the biggest surprise in the final selection with his selection at right-back, but largely the team is packed with the acknowledged stars of European football. The uefa.com users’ Team of 2003 is: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus FC) – Paulo Ferreira (FC Porto) Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan), Paulo Maldini (AC Milan), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid CF) – Luís Figo (Real Madrid CF), David Beckham (Real Madrid CF), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid CF), Pavel Nedved (Juventus FC) – Thierry Henry (Arsenal FC), Ruud van Nistelrooij (Manchester United FC) Coach: José Mourinho (FC Porto) Nesta, Roberto Carlos, Zidane and Henry are selected for the second successive year. Indeed, the French duo have now achieved the notable hat-trick of being selected for every uefa.com users’ Team of the Year since its inception in 2001. Full results and voting figures can be found at www.uefa.com. Never intended to be or likely to be viewed as a rival to more established awards, the Team of the Year does not bear the official UEFA imprimatur but provides a chance for the hundreds of thousands of fans who regularly use uefa.com to have their say in selecting the best players over the previous calendar year. For further information: UEFA Media Services: ++41-22 99 44 55 9 .