Igor Dobrovolski: My team of 2014

The USSR's player of the year in 1990 and a former coach of Moldova, Igor Dobrovolski's 2014 Team of the Year is led by a goalkeeper he has not seen the like of before, while he has opted to leave Lionel Messi out.

The 1988 Olympic gold medalist always knew how to surprise on the pitch so it is no shock that he has made some brave decisions when it comes to selecting his XI, which will line up in the classic 4-4-2 formation.

View Dobrovolski's choices below and submit your own selection before 13.00CET on Tuesday 6 January.

Vote for your Team of the Year 2014

Manuel Neuer: A keeper without weaknesses. I have not seen a keeper like him before. He is very reliable and good with his feet outside of the box which is a must now at Bayern. I think he deserves the Ballon d'Or that has only been won once previously by a keeper – Lev Yashin.

Philipp Lahm: Not every defender can play in midfield. Lahm was very effective for Germany in the middle. Very secure and a good creator. I see him as a right-back in my team.

David Alaba: The same goes for Alaba who is filling the central midfield position in the Austria national team, a position where you need brains first of all. He is a steady player and I will put him on the left of my defence.

Diego Godín: A central defender for me is first and foremost a man of discipline and reliability. Both of them must excel in the air and read the game well. Godín belongs is one of those players.

Sergio Ramos: I pick Ramos as Godín's partner. Sometimes he is too adventurous and emotional, but you need players like that in your team. He is also excellent from set-pieces in attack.

Arjen Robben: A technically gifted player who can break any defensive line on his own. He is not afraid of hard work and will put in a sliding challenge near the corner flag in his own half if he needs to. He has a brilliant football mind.

Ángel Di María: The Argentinian, whose qualities are a lot like Robben's, will occupy my other flank. Both of them do not go over the top with individual skills despite what many think of them. They know where to draw the line with solo runs and work for the team's benefit.

Xabi Alonso: An extremely experienced holding midfielder. You can always count on him. He'll never play below par.

Luka Modrić: Another highly intelligent midfielder. Just like Alonso, he reads the game very well, as if reading a book. Both of them have everything a central midfielder needs; great vision, tackling and passing technique.

Cristiano Ronaldo: I don't know what to say about him. Let him play in any position he wants. He knows himself which role is his best.

Diego Costa: Many will wonder whether I am an idiot for not picking Lionel Messi, but this year he was not as bright as he could have been. So I am going for Diego Costa. I want a powerful central forward in my team – an out-and-out striker – while Messi often plays somewhere in centre circle. But it was really hard to choose one forward from a list of such distinguished nominees.

Igor Dobrovolski was talking to Evgheni Balaniuk