Messi, Ronaldo Nominated For 2023 FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11

Veteran football icons, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi made it to the 2023 FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 shortlist even though they are no longer playing in Europe.

Recall that Cristiano Ronaldo, whose contract was terminated by Manchester United in November 2023, moved to Saudi Pro League club, Al Nassr in December of the same year.

His career rival, Lionel Messi, left French Ligue 1 club, Paris Saint Germain for Major League Soccer club, Inter Miami last summer, to put an end to their European dominance.

Despite being miles away from Europe, the epic center of elite football, their performances in 2023 didn’t fail to attract attention in the right quarters.

Note that the 2023 FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 nominees are voted by over 28,000 professional footballers across the world.

The nominees are voted for based on their performance from 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023. The players with the highest number of votes make up the 23-man shortlist for the award.

The winners of the 2023 FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 will be announced on Monday, 15 January 2024, at The Best FIFA Football Awards in London, England.

Below are the 23-man shortlist for the 2023 FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11:

Goalkeepers

Ederson (Manchester City, Brazil)

Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium)

Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, Argentina)

Defenders

Ruben Dias (Manchester City, Portugal)

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands)

Eder Militao (Real Madrid, Brazil)

Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, Germany)

John Stones (Manchester City, England)

Kyle Walker (Manchester City, England)

Midfielders

Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund/Real Madrid, England)

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium)

Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City/Barcelona, Germany)

Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia)

Rodri (Manchester City, Spain)

Bernardo Silva (Manchester City, Portugal)

Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, Uruguay)

Forwards

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/Al-Ittihad, France)

Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway)

Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur/Bayern Munich, England)

Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain, France)

Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain/Inter Miami, Argentina)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr, Portugal)

Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid, Brazil)