Aside from major team and individual trophies, top players are looking for recognition from their peers.
To that end, FIFA named its World XI during Monday's annual Best FIFA Awards ceremony in London, England. The FIFPro XI is voted upon by a total of 25,000 footballers spanning 65 countries worldwide and hails the form and achievements of the game's best over the last calendar year.
Football's superstar duopoly of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were each selected for a joint-record 12th time, while three members of France's World Cup-winning team were included. There was, however, no room for Liverpool's Puskas Award winnerand Best Player nominee Mo Salah, or Premier League runaway winner Manchester City's crown jewel Kevin De Bruyne.
Kylian Mbappe is the first teenager ever to be named in the FIFPro World XI after the phenom's remarkable 2018, while Les Bleus teammates N'Golo Kante and Raphael Varanewere also elected.
World Cup 2018 Golden Ball and FIFA Best Player winner Luka Modric was named in midfield alongside Chelsea pair Kante and Eden Hazard, while David De Gea was voted in as goalkeeper despite Thibaut Courtoishaving been named Best Goalkeeper earlier in the ceremony.
What a team
Your FIFA @FIFPro @World11#TheBest #FIFAFootballAwards
The French trio, Hazard, and De Gea have all been named to the XI for the first time. Sergio Ramos makes his ninth appearance, good for joint-third all time, and he, Dani Alves, Marcelo, Modric, Messi, and Ronaldo have now all been named in the last four iterations. This, however, is the first since the award's inception in 2005 that only one Barcelonaplayer has been included.
The FIFPro World XI in full:
GK: David De Gea (Manchester United and Spain)
DF: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid and Spain), Marcelo (Real Madrid and Brazil), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid and France), Dani Alves (Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil)
MF: N'Golo Kante (Chelsea and France), Eden Hazard (Chelsea and Belgium), Luka Modric (Real Madrid and Croatia)
FW: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Juventusand Portugal), Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina), Kylian Mbappe (PSG and France)
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