Professional footballers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been included in the shortlist for the FIFPro World XI of the Year.
The FIFPro World XI is selected based on votes cast by professional footballers. Messi has been included in the XI a record 17 times, while Ronaldo has made the team 15 times. Notably, since 2007, Messi has been selected every year.
Eleven players from the English Premier League are included in this list — the highest representation from any league. Among them, seven are from Manchester City. Surprisingly, however, Egyptian star Mohamed Salah of Liverpool is absent from the shortlist.
The final XI will be announced on December 9. Only professional footballers vote for this team, and this year, a record 28,322 votes were cast from 70 countries. Player performances between August 21, 2023, and July 14, 2024, were considered. Also, those who played at least 30 matches during this period are eligible for voting.
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