FIFA 23 Team of the Year

With over 10 million votes from around the world and a shortlist of 100 nominees whittled down to just 11, the FIFA 23 Team of the Year is officially upon us.

EA Sports have announced the names of the players included in this year’s selected XI with heavy hitters such as Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Kevin De Bruyne earning spots. Indeed, it was Kylian Mbappe who garnered the biggest share of the global striker poll with 23% of voters choosing the Paris Saint-Germain striker.

Elsewhere, De Bruyne came out on top in midfield voting (21%) while Achraf Hakimi proved the most popular defensive choice (15%). Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois was No.1 on the squad sheet after garnering a whopping 56% majority among goalkeepers.

Of course, the biggest name to miss is Cristiano Ronaldo, who not only failed to qualify for the FIFA 23 TOTY, but didn’t even make the preliminary 100-name list – the first time ever. the Portugal captain missed the cup. since the introduction of Team of the Year for FIFA 09.

Other prominent names included in the shortlist but absent from the final XI include Erling Haaland (despite scoring 46 goals for club and country in 2022), Robert Lewandowski, Harry Kane, Neymar, Pedri, Toni Kroos, the midfield duo Manchester United midfielders Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, Alisson and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who won the World Cup.

Here is the full list of the EA Sports FIFA 23 Team of the Year.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)

As chosen by you.

Presentation of the #FIFA23 The team of the year 🏆#TOTY pic.twitter.com/xGfMKsJCUP

— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) January 19, 2023

Despite having 10 excellent goalkeepers included in TOTY’s shortlist, Courtois collected more than half of the vote, which is fitting given he won the 2021-22 Champions League with Real Madrid having kept more than clean sheets (5) than any other goalkeeper in the competition. .

DD: Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain / Morocco)

Hakimi enjoyed a very successful year in 2022, winning the Ligue 1 title and Trophée des Champions with PSG after making his way into the Africa Cup of Nations best XI with Morocco in February. The full-back then repeated the feat at international level with a string of excellent performances at the World Cup as the Atlas Lions defied expectations by reaching the semi-finals in Qatar, with Hakimi scoring the winning penalty in the shootout in the round of 16 against Spain. .

Despite being relatively young, the 25-year-old Militao has proven to be a solid and reliable presence in the heart of Real Madrid’s defence, winning the Champions League and becoming one of the prestigious’ first-choice centre-backs. spanish club.

Van Dijk becomes ever-present in the Team of the Year with his inclusion in FIFA 23 marking a fourth appearance in a row for the graceful Dutch centre-back. His solid form at the start of 2022 was vital as the Reds won both the League Cup and the FA Cup last season while leading the Premier League title race to the wire and reaching the League final champions.

After struggling to find footing at Real Madrid, a move to Milan saw Hernandez become one of the best left-backs in Europe. Its dynamic overlaps helped the Rossoneri claim the Shield in 2021-22, scoring four goals and three assists in the calendar year. He also helped France reach the World Cup final and was even nominated for the Puskas award.

At the age of 19, Bellingham has already established himself as one of the most capable and composed central midfielders in European football. In 2022 alone, the youngster excelled for Dortmund in the Bundesliga, finished second in the Golden Boy Award stakes and became a vital part of the England national team at the World Cup.

An aging statesman who is still capable of leading games from start to finish, Modric is rightly touted as a modern great. The 37-year-old Croatian (almost twice Bellingham’s age) won his fifth Champions League with Real Madrid in 2022 and finished the calendar year with an average passing accuracy of 92%.

ACM: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/Belgium)

One of the great maestros, De Bruyne has been pulling the strings at City for many years and his passing prowess still shows no signs of waning. The creative powerhouse won the 2021-22 Premier League title with his club and contributed 13 league goals and 16 assists in total during 2022.

RF: Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain/Argentina)

Messi solidified his claim to be the greatest of all time by finally winning a World Cup with Argentina for the fifth time. This came after the 35-year-old superstar had already added the Ligue 1 title, Champions Trophy and CONMEBOL-UEFA Champions Cup (also known as the Finalissima) to his massive trophy collection.

CF: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/France)

It’s fair to say that 2022 was a vintage year for Benzema, who finished top scorer in La Liga (27 goals) and the Champions League (15) while winning both competitions as well as the 2022 Ballon d’Or. for good measure – only the second player not named Messi or Ronaldo to do so since 2008. Who knows what might have happened had he been fit and able to join the France squad at the start of the Coupe du world.

LF: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain/France)

Already one of the most prolific talents in the elite game, Mbappe won the Ligue 1 title with PSG before being named player of the season after finishing top of the scoring charts in goals and assists. The 24-year-old striker also came close to claiming his second consecutive World Cup winner’s medal in December – winning the Golden Boot and becoming the first man since 1966 to score a hat trick in the final – only for a certain Argentinian club. teammate to spoil the fun.

12th man

As in previous years, fans will have the opportunity to add a 12th man to the FIFA TOTY collective with three players who narrowly missed out on a place in the final XI and were given the opportunity to be added via secondary voting.

The trio of players vying for the men’s 12th place in the FIFA 23 TOTY are: Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) and Joao Cancelo (Manchester City).

Voting for the men’s 12th position (which was won by Ronaldo in 2022) will take place in-game within FIFA Ultimate Team starting January 23.