Real Madrid are the reigning European champions for a reason. They have superior quality, in abundance, on their side.
Known as the Reyes del Europa (Kings of Europe) due to their dominance in their European Cup/Champions League history, winning is a way of life at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. That’s why it was no surprise to see Real Madrid lead the way on FIFA’s FIFPRO Men’s World 11 team, which was announced only a few hours ago.
Real Madrid was the only team to land four players on the team. If you’re doing the math, that’s more than 1/3 of the side! Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain each landed three on the FIFPRO team. The whole list is below, with Thibaut Courtois, Karim Benzema, Casemiro (who is now with Manchester United obviously) and Luka Modric making the cut into the elite, rarified air.
2022 FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium)
Defenders
Joao Cancelo (Manchester City/Bayern Munich, Portugal)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands)
Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco)
Midfielders
Casemiro (Real Madrid/Manchester United, Brazil)
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia)
Forwards
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)
Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund/Manchester City, Norway)
Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina)
Up next for Real Madrid is another edition of El Clasico, they’ll take on arch-rivals FC Barcelona in the first leg of the Spanish Copa Del Rey, on Thursday March 2.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.