FIFA FIFPro World XI 2020 - Predicting the Best XI for the 2019-20 season

Sportco predicts the FIFA FIFPro World XI for the 2019-20 season:

The FIFA FIFPro Best XI, for the 2019-20 seasons is set to be announced soon. As usual, the ceremony is going to take place in Zurich, this time on December 17th. The elaborate pomp and show might be missing given the existing pandemic situation but surely the much-anticipated event is going to retain its charm as ever. 

Along with the Best Player of the Year award, Best Coach, and Best Goalkeeper, given in both men’s and women’s category. Generally, no special formation is selected, and only divisions of goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and attackers are made. 

Here we are predicting the most likely XI to be selected by FIFPro from the men’s category. But here we shall keep the specific positional data to make it more likely to select the players.

GOALKEEPER

FIFPro Contenders for the spot- Manuel Neuer, Thibaut Courtois, Keylor Navas

Manuel Neuer

Possibly the most undisputed choice from the line-up was the position of the goalkeeper. Manuel Neuer had a stellar season after almost 4 years. Captain and goalie of the treble-winning team from Munich; Manuel Neuer was their ultimate savior.

Already the winner of UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year, he definitely looks favorite to be the man between the sticks in the FIFPro Goalkeeper's position.

DEFENDERS

Left Full Back

FIFPro Contenders for the spot- Alphonso Davies, Andy Robertson

Alphonso Davies

The 20-year-old prodigy had a flawless season having won all the major honors in club competition including the incredible the 'Treble' with Bayern Munich. Having broken all speed limits in Bundesliga to record at 36.49km/hr, he came third in the golden boy rankings. 

He had quite a few incredible moments this year, but surely his insane dribble and assist against Barcelona in the famous 8-2 victory remains the most auspicious one. Hence, Alphonso Davies makes the cut the left-back spot for our FIFPro World XI.

Central Defenders

FIFPro Contenders for the spot- David Alaba, Virgil van Dijk, Sergio Ramos, Marquirihos, Deigo Carlos

David Alaba

If any defender had a successful year, it was David Alaba for Bayern Munich. Winning the treble with Bayern and discovering a new role, it was Alaba’s incredible year. Normally a full back, he was moved to the central position last November by coach Hansi Flick and in this new position he gave picture-perfect performances.

Alaba became the playmaker of the defense, opening chances with the wide passing range also his ability to hold balls. Apart from the attacking edge of his game, he was defensively strong and reliable. We couldn't have left out the brilliant Austrian out of our FIFPro World XI.

Sergio Ramos      

There was surely a lot of competition for this spot in the FIFPro World Xi, especially from Virgil van Dijk, but Sergio’s better individual brilliance earns him the spot. Though apart from the La Liga he had nothing to show for the season, it was his year of brilliance. The rock of Madrid’s defense and also the scorer for the team, he almost saved Real Madrid’s year.

Along with scoring, his leadership is of the finest class. Leading his team from front Sergio Ramos surely had a year which many could be jealous of. 

Right Full Back

FIFPro Contenders for the spot- Trent Alexander Arnold, Benjamin Pavard, Jesus Navas

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Trent Alexander-Arnold had a great year this season. He won the Premier League with Liverpool. Benjamin Pavard and Jesus Navas surely had a wonderful year too, winning the Champions League and Europa League respectively, but Trent stood out. He took an active part in Liverpool’s attacks both assisting and scoring. 

His defensive game has improved as well. Trent's ability to quickly close down spaces for opponent attackers really made defending easy for his teammates at Liverpool. All-round it was an incredible year for Trent which gets him the nod over Benjamin Pavard and Jesus Navas at the right-back spot in the FIFPro World XI.

MIDFIELDERS

Central Midfielders

FIFPro Contenders for the spot- Joshua Kimmich, Thiago Alcantara, Kevin de Bruyne, Jordan Henderson, Miralem Pjanic

Joshua Kimmich

If a player who pivoted Bayern to their Champions League victory, it was Kimmich. He might have won the UEFA Defender of the Year, but it was silly, to give him the position of defender where he just played in that position for the four closing matches of the season. 

It was a phenomenal change from the right-back position to the playmaker for Bayern. His wide range of passes and his willingness to give his best each game for the team makes him a real match-winner. Also apart from creating the goals in most important times, he also has a knack for scoring in necessary situations. His achievements last season with Bayern earn him a place in the FIFPro centre midfield position.

Thiago Alacantara

Thiago is the only player other than Robert Lewandowski, from the treble-winning team to be nominated in the top 10 for the best player award. A player of his standards cannot be explained through stats. He had an impressive season with Bayern Munich. 

He completed around 90% of his passes. The head of goal creation refers to the number of expected goal chances created per 90 minutes of his game. His number of 0.43 shows he spent almost 43% of his game time creating goals.

Thiago‘s game had so many dimensions that he could single-handedly lead Bayern to their title. For many, he may be a top 10, given that players like Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry were not selected, but a careful analysis of his game clearly shows how important a player he is, and perfectly deserves a place in the FIFPro World XI.

Attacking Midfielder

FIFPro Contenders for the spot- Kevin de Bruyne, Thomas Muller, Bruno Fernandez, Kia Havertz

Kevin de Bruyne

The winner of UEFA Midfielder of Year, Kevin De Bruyne had a wonderful season. His rate of assists is nothing new having already been the top provider for quite some years now in the Premier League. Last year was just another example of his astounding skills. 

A leader on the pitch, De Bruyne did not have a fruitful year as a team though, having to display only the domestic title Caribou Cup. But still by all standards his individual performances just above the rest. 

He surely had stiff competition from Thomas Muller but surely De Bruyne has an upper edge in the FIFPro midfielder's spot given his stellar performances.

ATTACKERS (FORWARDS)

Left Winger

FIFPro Contenders for the spot- Neymar, Kingsley Coman, Vinisus Jr.

Neymar

The stats surely are quite decent, but for a player like Neymar, stats say only a little story. He won both the French league(Ligue 1) and the domestic cup with PSG. But his personal success came from the biggest stage - The Champions League. 

He had two memorable games against Borussia Dortmund and Atlanta. He almost single-handedly led the Paris club to their first-ever Champions League final, though ultimately losing the game to Bayern Munich. Hence, we go with Neymar at the left-wing position for FIFPro World XI ahead of Kingsley Coman and Vinicius Jr.

Centre Forward

FIFPro Contenders for the spot- Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, Luke de Jong

Robert Lewandowski

2020 might be a year to forget for many, but surely one to remember for Robert Lewandowski. He led Bayern to their treble with his goals. Top scorer in all three of the competitions that he played in, and falling short of just 2 goals for the European golden shoe, it was surely a season to remember.

Lewandowski out-scored and out-performed almost every. He became the spear-head of Bayern’s attack. He not only just tapped-in the goals, but took an active part in creating them. He fell deep into the pitch to perform his defensive duties and then take part in the build-up play. 

And even after this, he could still score a lot of goals, thanks to his wonderful positioning and perfect finishing abilities. There may be some question whether he out-performed even Cristiano, but surely his trophies and goals speak for themselves which earns him the classic No. 9 centre-forward position in the FIFPro World XI for 2020.

Right Winger

FIFPro Contenders for the spot- Serge Gnabry, Lionel Messi, Kylian MBappee

Lionel Messi

Who else but Leo Messi could be the right-winger in our FIFPro World XI. Both the creator and scorer for FC Barcelona, Messi is an obvious choice, Last season may be a horrible season for the team as they secured no trophies the whole year the first time since 2007, but for Messi on a personal front, it was surely not a bad one. He broke the La Liga assist record with 22 for his name while keeping up his scoring rates.

Giving him the position in the team is surely not an easy choice, Both Serge Gnabry and Kylian Mbapee had a season of individual brilliance with was capitulated with trophies. But in their personal game, they surely could not overtake the great Argentinean, and Messi can well claim his place.

Featured Image Credits: thesportsrush.com