A record number of 13 Real Madrid players have been nominated for long list of the FIFPro World XI, while Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez lead the pool of Premier League nominees.
A total of 25,000 professional footballers were asked to select a team of 11 players – one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three attackers – from across the world, and the 55 players with the most votes have now been revealed.
Real dominate the list after winning both La Liga and the Champions League in 2016-17, with Keylor Navas, Dani Carvajal, Marcelo, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Casemiro, Isco, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo all in line to make the XI. Pepe is listed as both a Real Madrid player and a Besiktas player, after moving to the Turkish team in the summer.
The Premier League has the same total nominees as Real, with Tottenham striker Harry Kane the only English player on the list.
Chelsea have three nominees in Eden Hazard, David Luiz and N’Golo Kante, while De Gea, Antonio Valencia, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic – formerly of the Blues – represent Manchester United. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are nominated from Arsenal, while Philippe Coutinho is the only Liverpool player on the list.
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe is the youngest player on the list, at the age of 18, fresh from sealing a loan move to PSG from Monaco. The teenager scored 27 goals in 60 games for the principality club last season.
PSG have six nominees in total – including Neymar and Marco Verratti – while Barcelona and Bayern Munich have eight apiece.
FIFPRO WORLD XI NOMINEES
Goalkeepers
Gianluigi Buffon (ITA/Juventus), David de Gea (ESP/Manchester United), Manuel Neuer (GER/Bayern Munich), Jan Oblak (SVN/Atletico Madrid), Keylor Navas (CRC/Real Madrid)
Defenders
David Alaba (AUT/Bayern Munich), Jordi Alba (ESP/FC Barcelona), Dani Alves (BRA/Juventus/Paris Saint-Germain), Jerome Boateng (GER/Bayern Munich), Leonardo Bonucci (ITA/Juventus/AC Milan), Dani Carvajal (ESP/Real Madrid), Giorgio Chiellini (ITA/Juventus), Diego Godin (URU/Atletico Madrid), Mats Hummels (GER/Bayern Munich), Philipp Lahm (GER/Bayern Munich), David Luiz (BRA/Chelsea), Marcelo (BRA/Real Madrid), Javier Mascherano (ARG/Barcelona), Pepe (POR/Real Madrid/Besiktas), Gerard Pique (ESP/FC Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (ESP/Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (BRA/Paris Saint-Germain), Samuel Umtiti (FRA/FC Barcelona), Antonio Valencia (ECU/Manchester United), Raphael Varane (FRA/Real Madrid)
Midfielders
Thiago Alcantara (ESP/Bayern Munich), Sergio Busquets (ESP/FC Barcelona), Casemiro (BRA/Real Madrid), Philippe Coutinho (BRA/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Chelsea), Andres Iniesta (ESP/FC Barcelona), Isco (ESP/Real Madrid), N’Golo Kante (FRA/Chelsea), Toni Kroos (GER/Real Madrid), Nemanja Matic (SRB/Chelsea/Manchester United), Luka Modric (CRO/Real Madrid), Mesut Ozil (GER/Arsenal), Paul Pogba (FRA/Manchester United), Marco Verratti (ITA/Paris Saint-Germain), Arturo Vidal (CHI/Bayern Munich)
Forwards
Gareth Bale (WAL/Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (FRA/Real Madrid), Edinson Cavani (URU/Paris Saint-Germain), Cristiano Ronaldo (POR/Real Madrid), Paulo Dybala (ARG/Juventus), Antoine Griezmann (FRA/Atletico Madrid), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE/Manchester United), Harry Kane (ENG/Tottenham Hotspur), Robert Lewandowski (POL/Bayern Munich), Romelu Lukaku (BEL/Everton/Manchester United), Kylian Mbappe (FRA/Monaco/Paris Saint-Germain), Lionel Messi (ARG/FC Barcelona), Neymar (BRA/FC Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain), Alexis Sanchez (CHI/Arsenal), Luis Suarez (URU/FC Barcelona)
