Manchester City Dominates Fifpro Men’s World XI with Four Selections

Ballon d’Or winner Rodri secured his first-ever selection for the Fifpro men’s World XI. In total, four players from Manchester City were included in the 2024 Fifpro men’s World XI. Virgil van Dijk, a defender for Liverpool, represents the fifth Premier League player featured in the squad, with the remaining positions filled by athletes from Real Madrid. Argentinian football icon Lionel Messi, who transferred from Paris St-Germain to Inter Miami in July 2023, was not included, marking his first omission from the team since 2006. The attacking trio for 2024 comprises Erling Haaland of Manchester City, Vinicius Jr from Real Madrid, and Kylian Mbappe, who transferred from PSG to Real Madrid during the summer. Jude Bellingham, Mbappe’s new colleague at Real Madrid, an England midfielder aged 21, led the men’s overall voting, garnering 11,176 votes from his fellow professional footballers. Bellingham, along with Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Vinicius Jr, and Toni Kroos, contributed to Real Madrid’s victories in both last season’s La Liga and the Champions League. Kroos subsequently retired following his participation with Germany in Euro 2024. Haaland, Ederson, Kevin de Bruyne, and Ballon d’Or recipient Rodri were instrumental in Manchester City securing the Premier League title for the fourth consecutive year. Additionally, Rodri and Carvajal were part of the Spain squad that triumphed at Euro 2024. The selection process involved over 28,000 professional footballers across 70 nations, who cast votes for both the men’s and women’s squads. The criteria for the men’s team were based on player performances spanning August 2023 to July 2024. Kylian Mbappe’s inclusion was attributed to his displays for France and Paris St-Germain during the 2023-24 season, prior to his transfer to Real Madrid in the summer. The full lineup for the Fifpro men’s World XI is as follows: Goalkeeper: Ederson (Manchester City, Brazil) Defenders: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid, Spain), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, Germany) Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, Germany), Rodri (Manchester City, Spain) Forwards: Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway), Kylian Mbappe (Paris St-Germain/Real Madrid, France), Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid, Brazil)