To select the Team of the Year, we used our internal player rating system just as we do for our Team of the Week. However, there were some further constraints on who could make the XI.
We took the player with the top average rating (listed below) in each position from across just the 'Big Five' leagues in Europe - the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, LaLiga and Ligue 1.
What's more, players had to have played a minimum of 25 domestic league matches to qualify for the team. The cutoff date was in mid-December.
Below you can see our Team of the Year for 2024:
Goalkeeper
Mark Flekken (Brentford) 6.9 (average match rating)
Perhaps a surprise to many, Flekken has been a formidable presence in goal for Brentford, becoming one of the most underrated players around.
The Dutchman made 35 appearances in 2024, and this season in the Premier League, no keeper has made more saves than him.
Brentford sit 12th in the Premier League and have become a team that everyone is wary of, and Flekken's shot-stopping has contributed to a lot of their success.
Defence
Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) 7.4
Often switching between right back and central midfield, there is little surprise about the inclusion of Kimmich. One of the finest full-backs in the world, the German technician is superb with the ball at his feet and is crucial in the way Bayern want to play football.
Kimmich has provided seven assists this campaign, and also chipped in with one goal. The Bavarians sit atop the Bundesliga, four points ahead of defending champions Bayer Leverkusen, and they will be relying on his artistry if they want to regain their crown.
Willi Orban (RB Leipzig) 7.3
Orban has become one of the most rock-solid centre-backs in the Bundesliga, so his appearance in this team shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.
The Hungarian is a fine player with the ball at his feet, regularly linking play from defence to attack. And while that makes him very much the modern footballer, Orban is also a powerful defender, with his strengths coming aerially.
He has won the third most aerial duels this season in Germany (61), and has also scored four goals in 13 league games.
Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City) 7.5
When Manchester City signed Gvardiol from Leipzig in the summer of 2023 for a fee of £77.6 million, everyone knew how talented a defender he was. However, not many would have expected him to be such a threat in attack.
Often rotating between centre-back and left-back, the Croatian has scored eight goals in 2024, often being strikes that teammate Erling Haaland would be proud of.
He has struggled defensively at times this season for a Manchester City side who have won just twice in a barely believable 14-game run, but there is little doubt that Gvardiol has been one of the best defenders in the world in 2024.
Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen) 7.6
An integral piece in Xabi Alonso's wing-back system, Grimaldo has been an attacking force of nature for Leverkusen in 2024.
Marauding up and down the left flank, the Spaniard had 11 assists and four goals in the Bundesliga last year, establishing a feared tandem with fellow wing-back Jeremie Frimpong.
As well as having a wicked delivery, Grimaldo is also a set-piece specialist, meaning he is a constant menace for all opposition defenders.
Midfield
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) 7.9
The highest-rated player on this list alongside another Englishman, Bellingham truly has the world at his feet.
His debut campaign at Real Madrid was simply staggering, playing an utterly vital role in his side winning LaLiga and the Champions League. He then secured a third-place finish at the Ballon d'Or.
Despite a slow start to this season, the all-action midfielder with bags of confidence is back to his best, getting involved in 10 goals. As his side look to overcome Atletico Madrid and Barcelona in this season's title race, Bellingham's goalscoring exploits will be absolutely crucial.
Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich) 7.8
Good friends with Bellingham, Musiala is another wonderful midfield talent. Effortless with the ball at his feet, the German has the ability to skip past players like they are not even there.
He also just continues to get better and better. Musiala has now started to add more end product to his game, racking up nine goals in the league this season - one off his total last campaign and three away from matching his highest-ever tally in the league.
He will have his eyes firmly on regaining the Bundesliga title with Bayern, and if he continues playing the way he is, it's hard to look past them.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) 7.8
What a midfield trio this could have been if Musiala had chosen to play for England. Palmer has been a sensation since signing for Chelsea, and is now widely recognised as one of the best players in the Premier League.
After scoring 22 goals and having 11 assists in a breakthrough 2023/24 campaign, Palmer has continued exactly where he left off, and has been the key cog in Chelsea's surprisingly good start to the season.
In an England side blessed with tonnes of attacking prowess, Palmer is likely to be the main man in Thomas Tuchel's side.
Forwards
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) 7.9
Alongside Bellingham as the joint-highest rated player, Saka had another stellar year, demonstrating just why he is Arsenal's main man.
An output machine, Saka continues to put up incredible numbers and almost singlehandedly carries the Gunners' attacking threat with his clinical finishing and gorgeous deliveries.
The English winger had started the season is scintillating form, scoring five goals and registering 10 assists in 16 league games before he picked up a serious hamstring injury. Saka is likely to be out for between two to three months, which could prove to be a potentially fatal blow to Arsenal's title chances.
Omar Marmoush (Eintracht Frankfurt) 7.7
While Marmoush didn't have a bad 2023/24 season, the Egyptian has gone to a completely new level this campaign and has guided Frankfurt to a spot in the top three heading into 2025.
An electric centre forward, Marmoush has 13 goals and seven assists in just 15 Bundesliga games, with only Harry Kane having scored more in Germany.
Linked with the likes of Liverpool, if he should continue in this rich vein of form, he will most certainly have a number of suitors come the summer.
Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) 7.7
The second Bayer Leverkusen player on this list, Wirtz has established himself as one of the best players in the world.
The German playmaker was named Bundesliga player of the season at the end of the 2023/24 campaign after playing an influential role in his side's title triumph, and has started this season in arguably better form.
In the league, Wirtz has seven goals and eight assists, while also bagging five times in the Champions League for extra measure. A complete midfielder.