Explained: How was the FIFA FIFPro Men's World XI selected at Best FIFA Awards 2022?

The FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 was revealed at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 in Paris on Monday. While Lionel Messi became the Best FIFA Men’s Player of 2022, he also featured in the FIFA Men’s World 11, courtesy of his charge to win the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar with Argentina. Several young superstars like Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland were named in the World XI, alongside veterans like Casemiro and Karim Benzema. 

The FIFA FIFPRO World XI has been decided by the world’s professional footballers since 2005. Interestingly, it is the only global player award that is decided exclusively by the footballers themselves. Players from a total of 68 nations submitted their submissions for the 2022 FIFA FIFPRO World 11.

More about the voting process for the 2022 FIFA FIFPRO World 11

The footballers named their three choices of players for each of the four positions, goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards. One goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders, and three forwards with the most votes were then named in the World 11. The footballers voted for the players after FIFPRO and affiliated player unions distributed unique links with access to a digital voting platform.

It is worth noting that the Best FIFA Football Awards recognized men’s footballers for their performances during the period 8 August 2021 to 18 December 2022. On the other hand, women’s footballers were rewarded for their show from the period 7 August 2021 to 31 July 2022. Here’s a look at the  FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 and FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World 11.

2022 FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World 11

Goalkeeper

Christiane Endler (Olympique Lyonnais, Chile)

Defenders

Lucy Bronze (Manchester City/Barcelona, England)

Mapi Leon (Barcelona, Spain)

Wendie Renard (Olympique Lyonnais, France)

Leah Williamson (Arsenal, England)

Midfielders

Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg, Germany)

Alexia Putellas (Barcelona, Spain)

Keira Walsh (Manchester City/Barcelona, England)

Forwards

Sam Kerr (Chelsea, Australia)

Beth Mead (Arsenal, England)

Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride/San Diego Wave, USA)

2022 FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11

Goalkeeper

Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium)

Defenders

Joao Cancelo (Manchester City/Bayern Munich, Portugal)

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands)

Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco)

Midfielders

Casemiro (Real Madrid/Manchester United, Brazil)

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium)

Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia)

Forwards

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)

Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund/Manchester City, Norway)

Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain, France)

Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina)