Both superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were included on the shortlist of 23 players for the team of the year that was voted by the professional footballers’ association (FIFPro). The nine-player group that Man City employed was able to win the “treble” of the season.

In spite of the fact that Ronaldo will be playing in the Saudi Pro League for Al Nassr Club in 2023, after having left Manchester United, he is still considered for the position. With 54 goals scored for both his club and national team, the superstar, who is 38 years old, will finish the year 2023 as the highest scorer in world football.

The participation of Ronaldo is sure to come as a surprise to many people, especially when one considers the relative strength of Saudi Arabia’s premier league in comparison to major European leagues. However, it is impossible to dispute the extraordinary scoring form of the former Manchester United star. He also excelled in helping Portugal secure a ticket to the European Championship in 2024, scoring 10 goals, which was just four goals less than Romelu Lukaku’s total of 14 goals.

After gathering votes from 28,000 professional players, the shortlist revealed that Man City players were the most dominant. Man City was the side that won the “quintuple” in 2023, which included the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, European Super Cup, and the most recent FIFA Club World Cup. 

Over the course of 53 matches, Erling Haaland has scored 52 goals for Manchester City, making him the team’s most valuable player. As a result of their contributions, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, and Bernardo Silva were featured in the squad. Ederson, Ruben Dias, John Stones, and Kyle Walker were also chosen in the squad.

Man City has 9 players on the shortlist for the typical team of the year

Ilkay Gundogan, a player who moved to Barca in the summer, also made the shortlist after winning all three titles as captain of Man City.

The England team has 4 players representing, with Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane appearing along with a pair of players from Man City, Walker and Stones. Bellingham and Kane both had a very successful year playing for the club as well as the England team. Although the duo starred for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich following high-profile summer transfers, their performances with Dortmund and Tottenham earned them the nomination.

Votes are only counted from December 19, 2022 to August 20, 2023. This time frame includes the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar with the victory of superstar Lionel Messi’s Argentina team. La Pulga has been included in FIFPro’s best team 16 times and he has a chance to extend his record even further.

The Inter Miami star was on the shortlist along with his former teammate at PSG, Kylian Mbappe – who scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final that France lost.

Behind Man City in the number of players participating is Real Madrid with the names Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, Luka Modric, Federico Valverde and Vinicius Jr. In addition, former Los Blancos striker Karim Benzema, who currently plays for Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, is also named.

Shortlist

Goalie

Ederson (Man City, Brazil) 

Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium)

Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, Argentina)

Defender

Ruben Dias (Man City, Portugal)

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Hà Lan)

Eder Militao (Real Madrid, Brazil)

Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, Germany)

John Stones (Man City, Anh)

Kyle Walker (Man City, Anh)

Midfielder

Jude Bellingham (Dortmund/Real Madrid, Anh)

Kevin De Bruyne (Man City, Belgium)

Ilkay Gundogan (Man City/Barcelona, ​​Germany)

Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia)

Rodri (Man City, Spain)

Bernardo Silva (Man City, Portugal)

Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, Uruguay)

Striker

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/Al Ittihad, France)

Erling Haaland (Man City, Na Uy)

Harry Kane (Tottenham/Bayern Munich, England)

Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain, Pháp)

Lionel Messi (PSG/Inter Miami, Argentina)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr, Portugal)

Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid, Brazil)