Red Bull Salzburg striker Jonathan Soriano "surprised" by UEFA nomination

UEFA have looked outside the box and fairly included Jonathan Soriano among the nominees for the UEFA Team of the Year.

The Catalan striker has been in spectacular form for Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg  and his name has been chosen along with the likes of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Moments after learning the news, SPORT spoke with a very happy Soriano.

"For me it is an enormous prize to be at a team in Austria and to feature among these players," the 29-year-old said.

"This shows that when you do thinks well, you are compensated."

A one-time Barça B striker, Soriano admitted he was "surprised" by the nomination and explained how he learned of his presence on the list.

"Several messages started to arrive congratulating me and I didn't understand anything," he admitted.

"Not until I saw the news myself."

Soriano has scored 53 goals so far in 2014, making him the top goal scorer across Europe this calendar year. 

Real Madird's Ronaldo, the favourite for the Ballon d'Or, has scored one less (52).