Despite being included in the initial list of players to be considered for the FIFPRO Men’s World 11, Super Eagles duo of Ademola Lookman and captain William Troost Ekong has been excluded from the final shortlist of 26 players released yesterday by the organisers of the prestigious award.
Without a doubt, Lookman made the initial list due to his sterling displays for club and country which included the hat-trick that propelled Atlanta to a 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa Cup final while Ekong was also instrumental to the Super Eagles’ runners up finish at the 2023 AFCON in Cote’ d’Ivoire where he emerged the Most Valuable Player of the continental showpiece.
The FIFPRO World 11 is an annual award that recognizes the best men’s and women’s football teams of the year. It’s the only global football award that is decided exclusively by professional footballers.
Already over 21,000 men’s footballers from 70 countries have voted for their 2024 team of the year.
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The 11 players will be revealed on Monday 9 December on FIFPRO’s digital platforms.
2024 FIFPRO Men’s World 11 Finalists
Goalkeepers
Ederson (Manchester City, Brazil)
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, Argentina)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich, Germany)
Defenders
Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid, Spain)
Ruben Dias (Manchester City, Portugal)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands)
Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen, Netherlands)
Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, Germany)
William Saliba (Arsenal, France)
Kyle Walker (Manchester City, England)
Midfielders
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England)
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium)
Phil Foden (Manchester City, England)
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, Germany)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia)
Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich, Germany)
Rodri (Manchester City, Spain)
Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, Uruguay)
Forwards
Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England)
Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain/Real Madrid, France)
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina)
Cole Palmer (Manchester City/Chelsea, England)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr, Portugal)
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid, Brazil)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)
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