Chronicle Editor
The 55 male nominees for the annual award have been revealed, with Champions League winners Bayern Munich unsurprisingly the most represented club.
Hansi Flick’s team won the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League treble in 2019-20, seeing off Paris Saint-Germain in the final of European football’s premier competition in August.
Robert Lewandowski and Joshua Kimmich were the only Bayern players to make the long-list last year, and these two again feature this time around.
Lewandowski scored a remarkable 55 goals across all competitions for Bayern last term, and has hit the ground running this season, netting 15 times to take his tally for the year so far to 70.
Manuel Neuer enjoyed something of a resurgence last term and heads a list of 10 goalkeepers.
David Alaba was last on the list in 2017, but returns after starring at centre-back alongside Jerome Boateng, who also makes his first appearance in three years.
Thomas Muller is back after a four-year absence, while Alphonso Davies, Serge Gnabry and Leon Goretzka are all included for the first time.
Philippe Coutinho was something of a bit-part player, but did score twice and provide an assist in a thumping 8-2 win over Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals, while Thiago Alcantara, now at Liverpool, also features.
The list, which is based on players who received the most votes from other professionals, also includes 11 new faces.
It is no shock to see Borussia Dortmund’s scoring sensation Erling Haaland make the cut, while Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes is also involved.
Dele Alli, meanwhile, is something of a surprise inclusion. The Tottenham midfielder has fallen out of favour under Jose Mourinho, making only two Premier League appearances, with his only topflight start coming in the opening day defeat to Everton. In total, Alli has played just 66 league minutes this term.
Premier League champions Liverpool have eight players on the list.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are included among 15 forwards, while Dani Alves is the only man on the list not to play in Europe’s top five leagues.
The 2020 Fifa FIFPRO Men’s World XI will be made up of the goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders and three attackers who receive the most votes, with the final spot going to the highest-ranking outfielder outside of the top nine.
The World XI will be announced at The Best Fifa Awards ceremony on Thursday next week.
Nominees
Goalkeepers
Alisson Becker (Liverpool FC, Brazil)
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium)
David de Gea (Manchester United, Spain)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan, Italy)
Ederson Moraes (Manchester City, Brazil)
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur, France)
Keylor Navas (Paris Saint-Germain, Costa Rica)
Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern Munich, Germany)
Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid, Slovenia)
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (FC Barcelona, Germany)
Defenders
David Alaba (FC Bayern Munich, Austria)
Jordi Alba (FC Barcelona, Spain)
Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur, Belgium)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool FC, England)
Dani Alves (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Jerome Boateng (FC Bayern Munich, Germany)
Alphonso Davies (FC Bayern Munich, Canada)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool FC, The Netherlands)
Kalidou Koulibaly (SSC Napoli, Senegal)
Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus FC, The Netherlands)
Marcelo (Real Madrid, Brazil)
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid, Spain)
Andrew Robertson (Liverpool FC, Scotland)
Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain/Chelsea, Brazil)
Raphael Varane (Real Madrid, France)
Midfielders
Thiago Alcantara (FC Bayern Munich/Liverpool, Spain)
Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur, England)
Sergio Busquets (FC Barcelona, Spain)
Casemiro (Real Madrid, Brazil)
Philippe Coutinho (FC Bayern Munich on loan/FC Barcelona, Brazil)
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium)
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, Portugal)
Leon Goretzka (FC Bayern Munich, Germany)
Jordan Henderson (Liverpool FC, England)
Frenkie de Jong (FC Barcelona, The Netherlands)
N’Golo Kante (Chelsea FC, France)
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, Germany)
Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern Munich, Germany)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia)
Thomas Muller (FC Bayern Munich, Germany)
Forwards
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City, Argentina)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal, Gabon)
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)
Serge Gnabry (FC Bayern Munich, Germany)
Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund, Norway)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan, Sweden)
Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur, England)
Robert Lewandowski (FC Bayern Munich, Poland)
Sadio Mane (Liverpool FC, Senegal)
Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona, Argentina)
Neymar Junior (Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus, Portugal)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool FC, Egypt)
Heung-Min Son (Tottenham Hotspur, South Korea)
– Goal.com
Online Reporter