Six FC Barcelona players are among the 55 short-listed for the FIFA’s FIFPro World XI. Ter Stegen is one of the chosen goalkeepers, Jordi Alba is there for the defenders, Sergio Busquets, Frenkie De Jong and Philippe Coutinho are midfield contenders and up front, Leo Messi is naturally among the candidates.
Ter Stegen, Alba, Busquets, De Jong and Messi are all back from last year, when De Jong and Messi both ended up being in the final XI. Coutinho was last nominated in 2018.
How it works
FIFA is now inviting all professional footballers around the world to vote for their 11 best players of the year in each of the four positions.
One goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders and three strikers will automatically go into the definitive XI, while the remaining place will go to whichever other outfield player gets the most votes. FIFA and FIFPRO will announce the result on Thursday 17 December.
