February 28, (THEWILL) – For the first time since 2006, Cristiano Ronaldo missed out on a spot in the FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 team, while Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, and Karim Benzema all made the cut.
Ronaldo and Messi had both been included in the team for the last 15 years in a row, but this year Ronaldo did not receive enough votes from his fellow professionals. Meanwhile, Manchester City’s Haaland earned a spot in the forward line after his impressive scoring form over the past year.
The midfield is made up of Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, Casemiro, and Luka Modric, while the defense features Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk, PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, and Joao Cancelo. Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois was chosen as the goalkeeper, having had an excellent 2021/2022 season as Real won La Liga and the Champions League. Courtois, however, missed out on The Best Men’s Goalkeeper to Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez.
In the FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World 11, four players from England’s Euro 2022-winning side were included. Beth Mead, who was joint-top scorer at the tournament with six goals, made the forward line along with USA’s Alex Morgan and Chelsea’s Sam Kerr. Lucy Bronze and Leah Williamson were added in defense, while Keira Walsh was put in midfield.
Lyon had two representatives in goalkeeper Christiane Endler and defender Wendie Renard, and Wolfsburg’s Lena Oberdorf was picked in midfield. Barcelona teammates Alexia Putellas and Maria Leon also made the team.
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.
