Since its split with the French magazine FranceFootball, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) organizes its annual trophies independently. Last season, Lionel Messi was crowned best player of the year, a few days after his flamboyant World Cup in Qatar, while the voters chose an ultra-offensive eleven composed of Thibaut Courtois, Virgil Van Dijk, Achraf Hakimi, João Cancelo, Luka Modrić, Casemiro, Kevin De Bruyne, Karim Benzema, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. This new ceremony rewarded players and clubs over the period from December 19, 2022 to August 20, 2023 inclusive. A campaign marked in particular by the historic treble of Manchester City, the return of FC Barcelona to the roof of Spain or the incredible epic of Napoli in Italy.
Supporters around the world were wondering what faces the eleven players chosen by the actors themselves to make up the best team of the year would look like. In fact, the voting system excludes the voices of journalists and supporters. It is also one of the only categories exclusively placed in the hands of the International Federation of Professional Footballers’ Associations (FIFPro) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). Thus, professional football players who are members of the FIFPro players’ union, more than 25,000 members, have decided on the identity of the eleven players who form this “FIFA FIFPro World11” for the 2023 sporting year.
Manchester City wins
Who says shock team, says great goalkeeper. The goalkeepers for the team of the year are Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid. The Belgian goalkeeper is accompanied by a beautiful three-way defense made up of the defensive rocks of Manchester City with the Englishman John Stones and his compatriot Kyle Walker, as well as the Portuguese international, Ruben Dias. But these are not the only Cityzens present in this eleven of the year.
Indeed, in midfield, we find another Portuguese international from Manchester City, Bernardo Silva, who can count on his Belgian teammate, Kevin De Bruyne. The British midfielder of Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham, concludes the axis of this magical eleven. The offensive lines are at a high level with the Norwegian, Erling Haaland, who is coming off a historic season on an individual level. He is perfectly supported by Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Vinicius Junior.
