LONDON, United Kingdom, December 9 – Four Manchester City players have been named in the Fifpro men’s World XI for 2024.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is the fifth Premier League player in the team, which is completed by Real Madrid players.
Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, who left Paris St-Germain for Inter Miami in July 2023, is absent for the first time since 2006.
The 2024 forward line is made up of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe, who left PSG for Real in the summer.
His new team-mate at Real, Jude Bellingham, topped the men’s overall voting, with the 21-year-old England midfielder receiving 11,176 selections from his peers.
Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Vinicius Jr and Toni Kroos helped Real win last season’s La Liga and Champions League, with Kroos retiring after playing for Germany at Euro 2024.
Haaland, Ederson, Kevin de Bruyne and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri helped Manchester City win the Premier League for the fourth year in a row. Rodri and Carvajal also won Euro 2024 with Spain.
More than 28,000 professional footballers from 70 countries voted for the men’s and women’s teams, with the men’s team based on performances from August 2023 to July 2024.
Who is in the men’s World XI?
Goalkeeper: Ederson (Manchester City, Brazil)
Defenders: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid, Spain), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, Germany)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, Germany), Rodri (Manchester City, Spain)
Forwards: Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway), Kylian Mbappe (Paris St-Germain/Real Madrid, France), Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid, Brazil)
