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LONDON (AP) — Barcelona topped the Associated Press Global Football 10 on Tuesday for winning the Spanish league and reaching the Champions League final, and Juventus striker Alvaro Morata replaced Lionel Messi as player of the week.
Morata's goal sent Juventus through to the European final at the expense of Real Madrid, his former club, and he had the match-winner in the 2-1 comeback victory over Inter Milan in Serie A.
"Morata didn't let sentiment get in the way of doing his job for Juventus against Real Madrid and then backed it up a few days later to score the winner against Inter," Marco Monteverde of News Corp. Australia said.
Messi was runner-up after his strike against Atletico Madrid on Sunday secured Barcelona's Spanish league triumph.
With a place in the final of Europe's elite club competition now secured for June 6 and the final of the Copa del Rey to come on May 30, Messi's goal allowed Barcelona to take the first step toward winning the treble.
"The Barcelona evolution has taken it from being attached to principles," Tito Puccetti of ESPN in Argentina said. "Winning on the counterattack is no longer sacrilege. Without much art, Barcelona took the first step to match the glorious treble achieved with Pep Guardiola."
Southampton attacker Sadio Mane took third for scoring the fastest hat trick in Premier League history. He netted three times in only 2 minutes, 56 seconds as his side routed Aston Villa 6-1.
Cristiano Ronaldo was fourth, despite netting a hat trick as Madrid beat Espanyol 4-1. Ronaldo's second half treble was in vain, as Madrid needed Barcelona to drop points against Atletico to still have a chance of reclaiming the Spanish league title.
"Sometimes it's not about quantity, but the time and the place for your goals," Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in the United States said. "Yes, Cristiano Ronaldo had three goals and an assist against Espanyol, but what did it get him? Nothing that he really wanted. Alvaro Morata got Juventus into the Champions League final. That's a good week."
Neymar is fifth after scoring twice for Barcelona against Bayern Munich to help secure its progression into the Champions League final.
Yaya Toure, Domenico Berardi, Shane Long, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Kevin de Bruyne complete the top 10 players of the week.
Juventus was second to Barcelona in the team vote after its two victories, while French champion Paris Saint-Germain was third. Sevilla entered this week in fourth for making the final of the Europa League by eliminating Fiorentina, and Southampton was fifth for its victory over Villa on Saturday.
Real Madrid, Crystal Palace, Freiburg, Wolfsburg and Manchester City complete the top 10.
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Associated Press Global Football 10:
Players:
1. Alvaro Morata, 92 points.
2. Lionel Messi, 90.
3. Sadio Mane, 71.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo, 70.
5. Neymar, 55.
6. Yaya Toure, 46.
7. Domenico Berardi, 37
8. Shane Long, 36.
9. Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 25.
10. Kevin de Bruyne, 23.
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Teams:
1. Barcelona, 107 points.
2. Juventus, 93.
3. Paris Saint-Germain, 84.
4. Sevilla, 69.
5. Southampton, 55.
6. Real Madrid, 52.
7. Crystal Palace, 46.
8. Freiburg, 37.
9. Wolfsburg, 31.
10. Manchester City, 28.
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