February 13, (THEWILL) – FIFA has announced its shortlist for the FIFPro Men’s Team of the Year (TOTY) and it features some of the biggest names in world football.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who experienced a difficult year with Manchester United before joining Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, was a surprise inclusion in the 26-man list. Still the list is dominated by stars from the biggest European clubs including Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappe.
The only English player to make the cut is Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, who impressed for both club and country, especially during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The final XI will be announced at FIFA’s The Best awards ceremony on February 27. The list is voted on exclusively by players, with performances from August 8, 2021 to December 18, 2022 taken into consideration.
The full 26-man shortlist includes a mix of players from different positions, from Alisson Becker and Thibaut Courtois in goal to Pedri and Gavi in midfield, and Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski up front.
The complete 26-man shortlist includes:
Goalkeepers
Alisson Becker (Liverpool, Brazil)
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium)
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, Argentina)
Defenders
Joao Cancelo (Manchester City/Bayern Munich, Portugal)
Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich, Canada)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands)
Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig, Croatia)
Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco)
Theo Hernandez (AC Milan, France)
Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea/Real Madrid, Germany)
Thiago Silva (Chelsea, Brazil)
Midfielders
Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund, England)
Casemiro (Real Madrid/Manchester United, Brazil)
Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium)
Enzo Fernandez (River Plate/Benfica/Chelsea, Argentina)
Gavi (Barcelona, Spain)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Spain)
Pedri (Barcelona, Spain)
Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, Uruguay)
Forwards
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)
Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund/Manchester City, Norway)
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Barcelona, Poland)
Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina)
Neymar Jr (Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United/Al Nassr, Portugal)
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
