Manchester City players dominated the FIFPRO world men’s team that was unveiled by FIFA at an awards ceremony in London on Monday.
Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones all featured in the XI, while Lionel Messi was the only player outside of Europe to be included.
The selection was hardly a surprise given City secured a historic Treble, but the picture is surprisingly different according to SofaScore.
Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe are the only two players in both XIs, but all six City stars miss out.
Here Mail Sport takes you through the Best XI of 2023, courtesy of SofaScore.
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Michele Di Gregorio (Monza) – 7.32
Forget about Ederson, Emiliano Martinez and Thibaut Courtois. Monza goalkeeper was the best in his role, according to SofaScore.
The 23-year-old kept 10 league clean sheets as newly-promoted Monza finished a creditable 11th in their debut Serie A season and has already registered seven this term.
Michele Di Gregorio kept 10 league clean sheets as newly-promoted Monza finished a creditable 11th in their debut Serie A season
Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United) – 7.46
With a rating of 7.46, the Newcastle captain is the highest-rated defender in the XI.
Trippier was ever-present in the Premier League last season, as the Magpies finished fourth and returned to the Champions League for the first time in two decades.
The England right-back registered 10 assists in all competitions as Eddie Howe’s men reached the Carabao Cup final and has already racked up eight this term.
It’s no surprise Newcastle’s downturn in form has coincided with a difficult patch for their skipper.
Kieran Trippier was ever-present in the Premier League for Newcastle last season
Danilo (Juventus) – 7.27
Juventus boast Serie A’s second-best defensive record this season, thanks in no small part to Danilo’s contribution.
The Brazilian ranks second among the Old Lady players in terms of tackles, clearances and interceptions this term, despite missing five league games through injuries.
The 32-year-old remains key to Juventus’ bid for a first Serie A title in four seasons, after he led the Bianconeri to the Europa League semi-final last term.
Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool) – 7.32
Van Dijk has been in imperious form for Liverpool this season, swiftly overcoming the disappointment of a red card at Newcastle in August to marshal the Reds’ back four with the usual composure.
Liverpool’s new captain following Jordan Henderson’s departure in the summer, Van Djik was remains a key figure in Jurgen Klopp’s side even at the age of 32. For all of Mo Salah’s goals, the Reds’ bid for Premier League glory rests on the Dutchman’s shoulders.
Pascal Gross (Brighton) – 7.42
Few players embodied Brighton’s carefree spirit under Roberto de Zerbi more than Pascal Gross last season.
The German scored 10 goals and registered as many assists in 44 appearances in all competitions as the Seagulls’ dazzled their way to a historic European spot.
That he did all of that while being deployed as attacking midfielder, right-back or defensive midfielder as required is testament to his versatility.
Pascal Gross scored 10 goals and registered as many assists in 44 appearances in all competitions for Brighton last season
Hector Herrera (Houston Dynamo) – 7.63
The Houston Dynamo man was the highest-rated central midfielder of 2023, after a season in which he helped his side to the Western Conference finals in the MLS playoffs.
The Mexico international registered an astonishing 16 assists in 44 games.
Jude Belligham – (Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid) – 7.75
To nobody’s surprise, Bellingham features in both FIFPRO’s team and SofaScore’s XI.
The Englishman swapped Dortmund for Madrid in the summer and has swiftly cemented himself as arguably the greatest player in the world.
Bellingham has scored 17 goals in 24 appearances for Los Blancos in all competitions, setting up a further six and lifted his first trophy in a white shirt as Real trounced Barcelona 4-1 in the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday.
Jude Bellingham won his first trophy with Real Madrid on Sunday
Lionel Messi (PSG and Inter Miami) – 7.79
Messi’s 2022 was historic as he led Argentina to the World Cup and the following 12 months have not been bad either.
The 36-year-old scored 21 goals in 41 games for Paris Saint-Germain, winning a second league title in a row before hopping across the Atlantic to Inter Miami.
And he wasted no time making his mark in the USA, scoring 11 goals in 14 games to lead Miami to the Leagues Cup, the club’s maiden trophy.
Of course, he also won his eighth Ballon d’Or.
Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or after leading Inter Miami to their first ever trophy
Kylian Mbappe (PSG) – 7.71
Mbappe’s future continues to dominate the headlines, but overshadowing his goalscoring record is nigh-on impossible.
The 2018 World Cup winner scored almost a goal per game in 2023, finding the net 42 times in 44 matches for Paris Saint-Germain and 10 in nine outings for France and winning a fifth Ligue 1 title in the process.
Already PSG’s top goalscorer with 233 goals, Mbappe is 10 goals short of Olivier Giroud’s all-time record of 56 goals for France.
SofaScore are a sports data-based company generating player ratings using a ‘sophisticated algorithm’ that rates each player’s performance out of 10 each game.
Harry Kane (Tottenham and Bayern Munich) – 7.73
Kane’s Bundesliga adventure is going the way his Premier League career unfolded – with the England captain scoring goals for fun.
The 30-year-old scored 18 goals for Tottenham between January and May, before swapping north London for Bavaria and hitting 26 in his first 23 appearances for Bayern Munich.
In November, Kane became the first ever player to score 18 goals in the first 12 games of a Bundesliga season and should finally get his hands on some silverware this season.
Harry Kane has made a flying start to his Bayern Munich career with 26 goals in his first 23 appearances for the Bavarian giants
Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) – 7.80
Ronaldo will turn 39 in less than a month but he showed no signs of slowing down over the past 12 months, plundering in 54 goals for club and country and becoming international football’s record goalscorer in the process
The tally is the Portuguese’s highest in a calendar year since he scored 55 times in 2016 en route to win his fourth Ballon d’Or.
And the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star has already warned he’s hungry for more, suggesting he may be targeting the 1,000-goal mark.
FIFA FIFPRO MEN’S WORLD XI
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Defenders: Kyle Walker (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid)
Forwards: Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)