At the annual awards ceremony for recognizing some of football’s finest individuals, FIFA announced the Fifpro XI. The Fifpro XI is a line-up of eleven players judged by FIFA to be the best for the year at their positions.
FIFA awards: Fifpro XI- The World’s Best XI
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)
The German ‘keeper caps off an electrifying year where he made headlines for being the top class “sweeper keeper”, leading Germany to the pinnacle of football, the World Cup. Also nominated for the Ballon d’Or as the world’s best player, it was unanimous that Neuer would be the top goalkeeper.
Defenders: Phillip Lahm (Bayern Munich)
David Luiz (Paris St-Germain)
Thiago Silva (Paris St-Germain)
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
Lahm capped off his international career by ending it with a World Cup. The German fullback’s illustrious career is a mark of consistency and stability. Being a staple on the World Cup champion’s side, it was expected for Lahm to make the XI.
David Luiz’s inclusion on the XI will raise many eyebrows. The talented but erratic center-back would not have been expected to make the team, especially since he was not an impact player for his club last year. He was also a member of the defence of the Brazilian side the took a 7-1 whopping at the hands of the Germans.
Thiago Silva has always been regarded as a world-class defender. His calm, stable presence and leadership skills have been on display for years at French champions Paris St-Germain.
Sergio Ramos may have had a disappointing World Cup with the former World Champions Spain, but his performances for Real Madrid lead them to their 10th Champions League trophy. His heroic performance rescued the trophy from the jaws of defeat in the 89th minute in the Champions League final versus arch rivals, Atletico Madrid.
Midfielders: Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid)
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
Toni Kroos’ precise passing and tactical mind was a key cog in Germany’s World Cup winning midfield. Along with those performances, his presence on German champions Bayern Munich was a highlight.
Angel Di Maria missed many of Argentina’s matches on their way to the World Cup final due to injury. However, his performances for his nation, as well as his performances for Real Madrid were key to him being regarded as one of the XI.
Andres Iniesta enters the line-up to remind us of one of the perennial top players in the world. His Barcelona side almost stole the title on the last day of the season, albeit losing out to Atletico Madrid.
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)
Messi and Ronaldo are obvious entries into the team, as they have dominated the upper echelons of World football to be two of the most dominating presences ever. Arjen Robben joins the dynamic duo, based on his successes with Bayern Munich and successful spearheading of his nation’s attack.
Notable players who missed out were Sergio Aguero, Javier Mascherano, Luis Suarez, Thomas Mueller and James Rodriguez.
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