Lukaku, Kante, Pogba make World XI shortlist
FIFPro, the worldwide players’ union, and FIFA yesterday announced the final 55-player shortlist for the FIFA FIFPro World11 2017.
The FIFA FIFPro World11, which will be announced at The Best FIFA Football Awards in London on Monday 23 October, will consist of one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders, and three forwards.
The line-up is decided by the players themselves, with more than 24,000 professional footballers from across the world selecting their best XI in a 4-3-3 formation based on performances from the 2016/17 season (August 2016 to June 2017).
Thirteen Premier League players are shortlisted, with Wales and Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale the only other British player nominated.
Real are the best represented team with 12 current players and La Liga the most common league with 23.
Manchester United are the best represented Premier League side, with six players - Romelu Lukaku, Antonio Valencia, Paul Pogba, David de Gea, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Nemanja Matic, who is also nominated for last season at previous club Chelsea.
Chelsea have Eden Hazard, N’Golo Kante and David Luiz, while Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are nominated for Arsenal and Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho is also included.
There are seven Bundesliga players, six from Ligue 1 including Paris St-Germain’s recent signing Neymar - three from Serie A, with Besiktas centreback Pepe, who joined from Real Madrid in the summer, and retired Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm completing the list.
Spain have the highest national representation, with nine players, followed by Germany and France on seven.