FIFPRO revealed the shortlist of 23 players for the 2023 Men’s World 11. Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo failed to make the list.
Apparently the legendary duo both left European football across the 2023 voting period. Messi went to the MLS joining Inter Miami while Ronaldo had signed for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr earlier
Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland is on the shortlist following a record-breaking year with treble-winners Manchester City where he also broke multiple records. Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Virgil van Dijk are also among the other high-profile names nominated on this list.
Additionally, the XI will be announced at The Best FIFA Football Awards in London. These will take place on January 15.
It should be noted that over 28,000 players have voted for this year’s XI, with FIFPRO priding the awards as the only one exclusively decided by professional footballers.
The team is always made up of one goalkeeper, 3 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 forwards. The other final place is kept for the remaining outfielder who has the highest amount of votes.
FIFPRO Men’s World 11 shortlist 2023
Goalkeepers
Thibaut Courtois – Real Madrid and Belgium
Ederson – Manchester City and Brazil
Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa and Argentina
Defenders
Ruben Dias – Manchester City and Portugal
Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool and Netherlands
Eder Militao – Real Madrid and Brazil
Antonio Rudiger – Real Madrid and Germany
John Stones – Manchester City and England
Kyle Walker – Manchester City and England
Midfielders
Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid/Borussia Dortmund and England
Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City and Belgium
Ilkay Gundogan – Barcelona/Manchester City and Germany
Luka Modric – Real Madrid and Croatia
Rodri – Manchester City and Spain
Bernardo Silva – Manchester City and Portugal
Federico Valverde – Real Madrid and Uruguay
Forwards
Karim Benzema – Al Ittihad/Real Madrid and France
Erling Haaland – Manchester City and Norway
Harry Kane – Bayern Munich/Tottenham Hotspur and England
Kylian Mbappe – Paris Saint-Germain and France
Lionel Messi – Inter Miami/Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina
Cristiano Ronaldo – Al Nassr and Portugal
Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid and Brazil
