FIFPRO Men’s XI 2021 nominees and predicted line-up

The nominations for the FIFPRO Men’s XI 2021 have been revealed, and it is a rather surprising list when it comes to the outfield players. The awards will be given out at FIFA’s The Best awards on January 17. The players have been voted by other fellow professional footballers. 

FIFPRO Men’s XI 2021 nominees

Goalkeepers

• Alisson Becker (Liverpool & Brazil)
• Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan/Paris Saint-Germain & Italy)
• Edouard Mendy (Chelsea & Senegal) 

Defenders

• David Alaba (Bayern Munich/Real Madrid & Austria)
• Jordi Alba (Barcelona & Spain)
• Dani Alves (Sao Paulo/Barcelona & Brazil) 
• Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool & England) 
• Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus & Italy)
• Ruben Dias (Manchester City & Portugal)  

Midfielders 

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• Sergio Busquets (Barcelona & Spain)
• Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)
• Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona & Netherlands)
• Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United & Portugal)
• Jorginho (Chelsea & Italy)
• N’Golo Kante (Chelsea & France)  

Forwards

• Karim Benzema (Real Madrid & France)
• Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund & Norway)
• Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich & Poland)
• Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan/Chelsea & Belgium)
• Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain & France)
• Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain & Argentina)
• Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain & Brazil)
• Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Manchester United & Portugal) 

Liverpool star players Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk have been excluded from the list of players. While the Dutchman’s exclusion seems justified given he spent the first half of 2021 out injured, Salah is one of the best players in the world right now. 

Moreover, Joshua Kimmich missing out on the midfield spot alongside Real Madrid’s Kroos, Casemiro and Modric seems quite difficult to digest. And despite going through a very tumultuous club season, the likes of Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Dani Alves have been included. 

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Here is the predicted XI of players that will be announced at the event next month: 

FIFPRO Men’s XI 2021 Predicted Lineup

GK: Edouard Mendy

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold

CB: Ruben Dias 

CB: Leonardo Bonucci 

LB: David Alaba 

CM: Jorginho 

CM: N’Golo Kante 

CAM: Bruno Fernandes 

LW: Cristiano Ronaldo 

RW: Lionel Messi 

ST: Robert Lewandowski