Ever wonder what a mvp team voted on by players would look like, well look no further than the FIFPro World XI. This team assembled by the votes of confidence by other athletes boasts the best possible roster in football year in and year, but wait, is this year’s team any different? 

With old and new faces popping up on the board this year let’s dive into who made the cut. In for the center forwards and wingers we have the freak of nature Earling Haaland, the fastest and most clutch player in football, Kylian Mbappe, the World Cup champion Lionel Messi, and the technical mastermind Karim Benzema leading the charge.

In center field we have the two best playmakers and passers in football, Luka Modric and Kevin De Bruyne, with Casemiro backing them up as an amazing one-on-one defensive midfielder. 

Keeping it clean in the back line we have the first timers, Joáo Cancelo and Achcraf Hakimi, on the right and left with the towering Virgil Van Dijk holding it down in the center. Finally the always reliable Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois leading his position. All of these players are phenomenal, but how do they stack up to previous winners?

In past years we have had the talents of Messi and Ronaldo both heading the list, but in the case of this year we are of course missing one of these names. Sadly or gladly, depending on your opinion, Cristiano Ronaldo was not there, but not for a bad reason. As this year we have one of the most versatile and complete front lines we have ever seen that includes flamboyant and various forms of attacks. The combined goals scored for this years starting four was 115 goals being one of the highest ever recorded.

The midfield did not disappoint this year either. In most cases the midfield consists of multiple more traditional attacking middles, but instead this year they included Casemiro due to the one less back line player. This cast of players in the midfield are not new to being in the FIFPro World XI as De Bruyne has been elected 3 times and Luka Modric has been elected 6 times. The combined assists between these players was 31 which is on the lower end, but their strong performances in the World Cup are what led to them being nominated.

Defensive Units of the past have all been incredibly solid, but in the case of this year they add the dimension of being able to take on goal scoring opportunities. The efforts of Joáo Cancelo and Achcraf Hakimi on the right and left side is what earned them this recognition with them always being able to set up plays well with great passes in the backline and lower midfield. Virgil Van Dik on the other hand should be considered the veteran of this unit and also the most defensively capable with his 37 tackles and 108 aerial duel wins. To finish off the defensive side we have the keeper who has had 54 saves and allowed less than one goal per game. Boasting this stat line he deserves to be given this honor; it is Thibaut Courtois.

So are they the best? The answer to that question is no they are not the best, but one of the most complete teams. They were consistent in all aspects and were just about middle of the pack in everything with a slight edge on offense. Older teams such as the 2007 and 2009 would have slight edges over them in the offensive categories, but in general they are quite the impressive group. The key to this team is that they have many players who have room to grow and I, along with many, am excited to see what comes of these players and if we will see them next year in this same position.