The best 11 players in men’s and women’s football were revealed on Monday when the FIFPRO World XI results were announced, and there was a distinct Spanish and English feel about the teams on both sides.
For the men, the 26-man shortlist was dominated by the Premier League, with 11 of the English top-flight’s finest on the list. When the final XI was revealed, there were five Premier League stars still standing but six from La Liga, and all of those from Real Madrid, either in their Champions League-winning squad or signed in the summer. In the women’s selection, five English players and three Spaniards made the team.
The FIFPRO World XI teams comprise of the best players during the period from 21st August 2023 to 14th July 2024 (10th August 2024 for the women), and players must have competed in at least 30 competitive matches in that period. The selected teams are voted for by their peers and that is why this recognition is so important to the players.
The award began in 2005 and every year players from around the globe vote on a digital platform to produce a team comprising a goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders and three forwards, and there’s one more place for the outfield player who received the highest number of votes but did not make the first 10. Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi has the highest number of appearances with 17, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with 15.
This year five members of Carlo Ancelotti’s current squad made the list, as well as Toni Kroos who announced his retirement after the Champions League final. Summer signing Kylian Mbappe is the incomer while Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Junior all made the World XI. The SBOTOP FIFPRO World XI 2024 betting odds have Real Madrid and Barcelona neck-and-neck for the 2024/25 Primera Division title, with plenty of players in superb form on either side of the El Clasico divide, but 2023/24 was definitely the year for Los Blancos.
Manchester City’s Premier League results have been pretty shaky recently, to say the least, as they failed to beat struggling Crystal Palace last time out, but the Sky Blues were totally dominant last term and, as such, four of their squad made the FIFPRO team. Midfield general Rodri, who won the 2024 Ballon d’Or and was named Man of the Tournament at Euro 2024, was probably a shoo-in, and it’s something of a mystery that he hasn’t made the list before.
Right now City are missing Rodri badly, as he picked up an ACL injury in September and is out for the season. Kevin De Bruyne, who earned his fifth place in the World XI, and Erling Haaland are both in the team, along with Ederson who took the keeper’s jersey. The Brazilian stopper is not having the best of seasons, but there is little argument he was the best goalkeeper in the business last year.
With 10 players coming from the two best club teams of 2023/24, there was one place left, and that went to current Premier League leaders Liverpool, with centre-back Virgil van Dijk getting the nod.
No Stars and Stripes in the Women’s XI
When the announcement of the Women’s FIFPRO XI came out, it was hard not to notice there was not one player from the USA team voted in. The USWNT is the most successful team in the sport, winning four World Cups and five Olympic Gold Medals and they are still the best in the world according to the FIFA rankings.
But with the votes cast and counted, it was the European nations which had dominated with five places for English players and three for World Champions Spain. Chelsea star Lucy Bronze made her seventh appearance in the final selection to equal the record set by French legend Wendy Renard, who missed out this year, per the FIFPRO World XI 2024 results.
Bronze moved from Barcelona to Chelsea last year after winning the Champions League with the Catalans and, at 33 years of age, the right wing-back has plenty more to come and she was joined in the team by Lionesses teammates Mary Earps, Alex Greenwood, Kiera Walsh, and Lauren James.
World Champions Spain were also well represented. La Roja’s Olga Carmona, who scored the winner in the 2023 World Cup final, made the team, as did Spain’s Golden Ball winner Aitana Bonmati, and the trio was made up by Catalan legend Alexia Putellas. The remaining three places went to Zambian and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda, 19-year-old Colombia sensation Linda Caicedo and Brazil’s best ever player, Marta. The North American domination of women’s football is officially over, well, according to the players anyway.
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