The Liverpool stopper was included in the team but there was no space for any of Pep Guardiola’s treble winners
The FIFA FIFPro Men’s World XI was released during The FIFA Best Awards and included some familiar names such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk.
The Argentina captain’s presence was perhaps unsurprising, with the attacker going on to win the Best Men’s Player on the night, but he was the only 2018-19 Barcelona player in the squad.
Frenkie de Jong, who joined the Spanish champions in the summer, was part of the XI alongside Matthijs de Ligt, following the pair’s performances with Ajax and the Netherlands last year.
They were not the only Dutch stars in the side, with Virgil van Dijk included after his outstanding showings for Liverpool last campaign as they won the Champions League.
His team-mate Alisson was selected in the XI and was also crowned the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper of the year.
The only other Premier League player in the team was Eden Hazard, who was included after a phenomenal season for Chelsea in 2018-19.
The Belgian netted 21 goals and provided 17 assists last term, with his form being so exemplary throughout the campaign that he earned a summer transfer to Real Madrid.
Hazard now, of course, plays alongside Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Luka Modric, who were all included in the 2019 World XI, somewhat surprisingly after Los Blancos’ subpar season.
Former Galactico Cristiano Ronaldo was also part of the fantasy team, along with Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.
No Manchester City players were included in the XI, despite Pep Guardiola’s men having earned 98 points in the Premier League and winning a domestic treble of trophies.
Full team:
Allison (Liverpool/Brazil)
Ramos (Real Madrid/Spain)
Van Dijk (Liverpool/Netherlands)
De Ligt (Ajax/Netherlands)
Marcelo (Real Madrid/Brazil)
Modric (Real Madrid/Croatia)
De Jong (Ajax/Netherlands)
Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium)
Mbappe (PSG/France)
Ronaldo (Juventus/Portugal)
As for the Women’s XI, it included England star Lucy Bronze and the Best Women’s Player, Megan Rapinoe.
Full team:
Van Veendaal (Arsenal/Netherlands)
Bronze (Lyon/England)
Fischer (Wolfsburg/Sweden)
O’Hara (Utah Royals/USA)
Renard (Lyon/France)
Ertz (Chicago Red Stars/USA)
Henry (Lyon/France)
Lavelle (Washington Spirit/USA)
Morgan (Orlando Pride/USA)
Rapinoe (Reign FC/USA)
Marta (Orlando Pride/Brazil)
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