Lionel Messi: Messi Voted Best Footballer In Europe - Champions League Drawa

Argentine utility player, Lionel Messi, has been named the inaugural recipient of UEFA’s best player in Europe on a day Champions League winner, Barcelona, was paired to begin its defence in the same group with AC Milan

Manchester United, last season’s runner-up, is top-seeded with Benfica, Switzerland’s FC Basel and Romanian newcomer Otelul Galati.

Bayern Munich, whose stadium will stage the final next May, got a tough group with Villarreal, big spenders Manchester City and Napoli.
Real Madrid, the nine-time European champion, faces Lyon, four-time winner, Ajax and Dinamo Zagreb.

Inter Milan, the 2010 winner, is top-seeded in a group with CSKA Moscow, Lille and Turkey’s Trabzonspor. Each team plays six matches in a programme scheduled from Sept. 13 through Dec. 7.

Draw in full:
Group A—Bayern Munich (Germany), Villarreal (Spain), Manchester City (England), Napoli (Italy).
Group B—Inter Milan (Italy), CSKA Moscow (Russia), Lille (France), Trabzonspor (Turkey).
Group C—Manchester United (England), Benfica (Portugal), FC Basel (Switzerland), Otelul Galati (Romania).www.mannastores.com

Group D—Real Madrid (Spain), Lyon (France), Ajax (Netherlands), Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia).
Group E—Chelsea (England), Valencia (Spain), Bayer Leverkusen (Germany), Genk (Belgium).
Group F—Arsenal (England), Marseille (France), Olympiakos (Greece), Borussia Dortmund (Germany).
Group G—FC Porto (Portugal), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia), APOEL (Cyprus).
Group H—Barcelona (Spain), AC Milan (Italy), BATE Borisov (Belarus), Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic).