La Liga dominated the Fifa Team of the Year with only three of the 11 players not based in Spain.
The Premier League’s sole representative a year ago, Ángel di María, is no longer with Manchester United, having joined Paris Saint-Germain in August, nor in the XI. Three players make their debut in the side, Luka Modric, Neymar and Paul Pogba.
The Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer retained his place in goal and is the sole Bundesliga representative. The back four is made up of Dani Alves, Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva and Marcelo – with Thiago Silva at PSG blocking total domination for La Liga. Similarly in midfield, Andrès Iniesta and Modric are joined by Juventus’s Pogba, while the forward three positions are unsurprisingly filled by Neymar, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – the latter two for a record ninth year.
Barcelona and Real Madrid boast four players each in the team of the year whereas last year they had only five representatives between them.
The 26,478 votes received is a new record for the team, with votes collected from 68 countries.
