The International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO) announced on Wednesday the list of nominees for the ideal team formation of 2023. The selection of the best 11 players, forming the ideal lineup, is determined through a vote by football players in member associations. The final announcement will be made at the FIFA “The Best” awards ceremony scheduled in London on January 15.
The nominee list for the ideal team includes 23 players who received the highest number of votes based on their performances from August 1, 2022, to August 20, 2023. The list includes:
Goalkeepers:
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium National Team)
Ederson (Manchester City, Brazil National Team)
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, Argentina National Team)
Defenders:
Ruben Dias (Manchester City, Portugal National Team)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands National Team)
Eder Militao (Real Madrid, Brazil National Team)
Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, Germany National Team)
John Stones (Manchester City, England National Team)
Kyle Walker (Manchester City, England National Team)
Midfielders:
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England National Team)
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium National Team)
Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona, Germany National Team)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia National Team)
Rodri (Manchester City, Spain National Team)
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City, Portugal National Team)
Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, Uruguay National Team)
Forwards:
Karim Benzema (Saudi Professional League, France National Team)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway National Team)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England National Team)
Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain, France National Team)
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina National Team)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr, Portugal National Team)
Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid, Brazil National Team)
Notably, some prominent football stars like Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Neymar of Al Hilal, and Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski are absent from the list.
The 2022 FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11, chosen by professional footballers worldwide, included the following players:
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium)
Defenders: Joao Cancelo (Manchester City/Bayern Munich, Portugal), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands), Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco)
Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid/Manchester United, Brazil), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium), Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia)
Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund/Manchester City, Norway), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina)
