Real Madrid dominated the FIFPro World XI as 6 players from the 2017-18 team were in the team. There were five changes from last year’s XI. David de Gea was the goalkeeper in the team but his inclusion came as a surprise as Thibaut Courtois won the Best Goalkeeper award.
The defence had the Real Madrid trio of Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Marcelo along with Dani Alves. This is the 9th time and 8th consecutive time that Sergio Ramos is in the World XI. It is the 8th time for Dani Alves while Marcelo enjoys his fifth time in the FIFPro World XI. Varane makes his first appearance in the FIFPro World XI.
The midfield consisted of N’Golo Kante, Eden Hazard and Luka Modric who also won the Best Men’s Player of the Year award. Kante and Hazard made their first appearances in the World XI while Modric had his fourth successive appearance. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe were the forwards in the XI.
Messi and Ronaldo both make their 12th appearance in the FIFPro World XI while Mbappe makes his first appearance.
One big surprise was the exclusion of Mohamed Salah who was in the top three for the Best Player of the Year. Salah won the FIFA Puskas Award for his goal against Everton last December.
