The year 2023 has ended, giving way to a new era. This year, marked by the departures of European football stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, has seen the emergence of several players as markers of the new generation, with Erling Haaland at the forefront. The Norwegian striker, author of an exceptional season with Manchester City, is one of the headliners of modern football alongside players like Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham. All the players mentioned were flamboyant in 2023, and are among the nominees for the FIFPRO XI of the year 2023.
Manchester City is logically the most represented team after its historic quadruple, with 9 players present on the list. In addition to Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gündogan (now at Barcelona), Rodri, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Kyle Walker and Ederson are named. Real Madrid is the next team, with 8 members: Vinicius Jr, Federico Valverde, Eder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema (now at Al-Ittihad), Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois. To conclude the list, we find Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Ballon d’Or Lionel Messi (PSG / Inter Miami), Kylian Mbappé (PSG), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Harry Kane (Tottenham / Bayern Munich) and the world champion with Argentina, Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa).
