Ronaldo, Messi, Haaland make shortlist for FIFA FIFPro Team of the Year

By Ayobami Okerinde

Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been named on a 23-player shortlist for the FIFPro team of the year. The 38-year-old scored 54 goals for club and country in 2023.


Also nominated are Inter Miami and Argentine forward Lionel Messi, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, and PSG forward Kylian Mbappe.

The FIFPro award is selected by over 28,000 professional footballers and is the only global football award decided exclusively by professional footballers.

The players were nominated for their performances from December 19, 2022, to August 20, 2023, inclusive, and the players selected must have played at least 23 games within the period.

In the women’s category, World Cup winners Aitana Bonmati and Jenni Hermoso were nominated. Also on the list is Chelsea’s women’s duo of Lauren James and Sam Kerr.
2023 FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 Finalists

Goalkeepers

Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium), Ederson (Manchester City, Brazil), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, Argentina)

Defenders
Ruben Dias (Manchester City, Portugal), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands), Eder Militao (Real Madrid, Brazil), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, Germany), John Stones (Manchester City, England), Kyle Walker (Manchester City, England)

Midfielders


Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund/Real Madrid, England), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City/Barcelona, Germany), Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia), Rodri (Manchester City, Spain), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City, Portugal), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, Uruguay)


Forwards
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/Al-Ittihad, France), Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur/Bayern Munich, England), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain/Inter Miami, Argentina), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr, Portugal), Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid, Brazil)
2023 FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World 11 Finalists

Goalkeepers
Mackenzie Arnold (West Ham United, Australia), Mary Earps (Manchester United, England), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars, USA)

Defenders

Lucy Bronze (Barcelona, England), Olga Carmona (Real Madrid, Spain), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City, England), Amanda Ilestedt (Paris Saint-Germain/Arsenal, Sweden), Ashley Lawrence (Paris Saint-Germain/Chelsea, Canada), Maria Leon (Barcelona, Spain), Irene Paredes (Barcelona, Spain)


Midfielders

Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona, Spain), Claudia Pina (Barcelona, Spain), Fridolina Rolfo (Barcelona, Sweden), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich, England), Ella Toone (Manchester United, England), Keira Walsh (Barcelona, England)

Forwards
Jennifer Hermoso (Pachuca/Tigres, Spain), Lauren James (Chelsea, England), Sam Kerr (Chelsea, Australia), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave, USA), Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona, Spain), Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg, Germany), Alessia Russo (Manchester United/Arsenal, England)