The end of the calendar year brings with it a whole host of awards, top-10 lists and “Best of” countdowns and that is certainly true when it comes to sport and football. As far as the Beautiful Game is concerned, one of the biggest honours a player can earn at this time of year is to be named in the Fifpro World 11.
Since 2016 there has been a women’s award, with the men’s having been founded in 2005. In this article we will take a look at the men’s team only, detailing the 11 players to have made the cut. Before we do that, though, let us briefly explain how this “team” is arrived at.
What Is the Fifpro World XI?
The award was created by Fifpro (sometimes stylised as FIFPRO), which is the Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels. This body represents more than 60,000 pro footballers around the world and has its headquarters in the Netherlands.
It has 66 full members, by which we mean the football associations of 66 different nations. It also boasts four “Candidate” members and dates back to 1965, with the body’s first congress being held the following year in London. It seeks to build solidarity between players around the world, as well as their associations and “defends the rights of over 60,000 men’s and women’s footballers”, as well as aiming to keep “players safe” and improve their working rights.
The World 11
The World 11, which was called the FIFA Fifpro World 11 for around 15 years, now stands alone, separate from the game’s governing body. As awards go, it is interesting because it is solely decided by professional footballers. They vote for a keeper, three defenders, three midfielders and three attackers. The 11th member of the team is whichever outfield player gets the highest number of votes but was not ranked among the top three in their position.
The 2024 award is based on performances between the 21st of August 2023 and the 14th of July 2024. In order to be eligible for selection players must have made at least 30 appearances in that time. There are no restrictions on who players can vote for, so footballers can vote for their club and international teammates if they wish.
The 2024 Dream Team
Introducing the 2024 FIFPRO Men’s #World11, chosen by 21,266 players 🌟
🇧🇷 Ederson
🇪🇸 @DaniCarvajal92
🇳🇱 @VirgilvDijk
🇩🇪 @ToniRuediger🏴 @BellinghamJude
🇧🇪 @KevinDeBruyne
🇩🇪 @ToniKroos
🇪🇸 Rodri🇳🇴 @ErlingHaaland
🇫🇷 @KMbappe
🇧🇷 @ViniJrBy the players, for the players. pic.twitter.com/OoMcUZd3sK
— FIFPRO (@FIFPRO) December 9, 2024
The Fifpro World 11 for 2024 is unusual in that it is almost exclusively made up of footballers from Manchester City and Real Madrid. A 26-man squad was announced on the 2nd of December, with the 11 itself named a week later. So, who made the grade?
Goalkeeper – Ederson
Man City’s stopper Ederson got the nod in goal and there is no doubt that he was a worthy pick. This was the first time the Brazilian international has been named in the team and he had to see off strong competition from Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez to do so. The Argentine was actually the seventh most popular selection overall, receiving more votes than many of the outfielders in the team, but with only one position up for grabs, he missed out.
Defenders – Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger and Virgil van Dijk
Real Madrid won the Champions League in the period that counted for this year’s 11 and so it is no surprise that so many of their team garnered enough votes to make the grade. Two of the three defenders played for Los Blancos, with Liverpool’s Van Dijk the only representative who isn’t a Real Madrid or Man City player.
Spaniard Carvajal was the Man of the Match in the Champions League final win against Borussia Dortmund, helping his side keep a clean sheet. Capped 51 times by his country, the 32-year-old is a brilliant defender but also excellent going forward. He is joined at the back by teammate Rudiger, a rugged, old-school defender who brings steel and aggression to any side. Completing the back three is Van Dijk, perhaps the best defender in the world for most of the past five years.
Midfield – Jude Bellingham, Kevin De Bruyne, Toni Kroos and Rodri
What a midfield these four would make, with the passing, creativity and guile of City’s De Bruyne, the defensive brilliance of his teammate and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, plus the metronomic passing, control and experience of Kroos. Oh, not to mention the athleticism, technique and goals that Bellingham would offer. Incidentally, out of all the players in the world, it was Real and England’s Bellingham who attracted the most votes overall.
Despite his tender age, this was Bellingham’s second appearance in the team. Rodri, like Ederson, Carvajal and Rudiger, appears in the World 11 for the first time. Fifpro do not reveal the exact voting numbers for all the players but clearly one of Rodri, Kroos and KDB got the “extra place” outside of the standard 1-3-3-3 formation the team uses.
Forwards – Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Jr
If the midfield looks stellar, how about this for a front three? Just how many goals a season would Haaland get if he was flanked by Real Madrid’s incredible duo? A lot! Mbappe appears in this dream team for the fifth time, tying De Bruyne for the most appearances among this year’s XI. The French flyer makes the grade for the third year in a row.
Haaland was a fairly obvious pick due to his relentless goalscoring. The Norwegian breaks record after record and, despite being just 24, has been in the World 11 for each of the past four seasons. Kroos and VVD are also making their fourth appearances in the team.
The other member of the front three, Vinicius Jr, appears for the second time, having made his Fifpro World 11 “debut” last term. He may have missed out on the Ballon d’Or but his phenomenal play for Real has once again been recognised by his fellow pros.
The Full Fifpro 26-Man Squad
The following players made the initial cut but missed out on the 11 itself. Some will expect to make the team next year, whilst for others, this may be the last time they make the 26.
- Goalkeepers – Ederson (Manchester City, Brazil), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich, Germany), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, Argentina)
- Defenders – Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid, Spain), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, Germany), Ruben Dias (Manchester City, Portugal), William Saliba (Arsenal, France), Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen, Netherlands), Kyle Walker (Manchester City, England)
- Midfielders – Rodri (Manchester City, Spain), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, Germany), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich, Germany), Phil Foden (Manchester City, England), Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, Uruguay)
- Forwards – Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain/Real Madrid, France), Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway), Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid, Brazil), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina), Cole Palmer (Manchester City/Chelsea, England), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr, Portugal), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)