Unofficial Ballon d'Or World XI 2023 Vs FanNation Futbol's Team Of The Year
The 2023 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony took place earlier this week and was dominated by attacking players as usual.
Sixteen of the top 21 players in the men's Ballon d'Or vote were either forwards or attacking midfielders.
Meanwhile, Kim Min-jae was the highest-ranked defender, coming in 22nd place.
There is no World XI or Dream Team named as part of the Ballon d'Or awards, so we decided to create one by sticking together the 11 players who had received the most votes in the men's individual category.
However, as you can see below, this unofficial 2023 Ballon d'Or World XI is horribly unbalanced, lining up in a keeper-less 0-4-7 formation!
Unofficial 2023 Ballon d'Or World XI
A team made up of the 11 players who received the most votes for the 2023 men's Ballon d'Or award
chosen11.com
But what would a 2023 World XI look like if it needed to be moderately functional - with a goalkeeper, central defenders, full-backs... the full shebang?
It would probably look something like this...
FanNation Futbol's Team of the Year 2023
The 2023 World Team of the Year, as selected by FanNation Futbol
chosen11.com
Ederson (Man City and Brazil)
Ederson was not nominated for the Ballon d'Or award, although he finished second behind Emiliano Martinez in the Yashin Trophy vote.
Martinez may well have been deserving of his award based on his heroics at last year's World Cup, but Ederson is the superior stopper and also much better with the ball at his feet.
Kyle Walker (Man City and England)
Walker has firmly established himself as the best right-back in the world in recent years.
The England star was ultra-dependable throughout Manchester City's treble-winning campaign, especially during his three-hour battle against Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior.
Ruben Dias (Man City and Portugal)
Jose Mourinho hailed Dias as the best center-back in world soccer way back in June 2021 and the Man City and Portugal ace has got even better since then.
Jamie Carragher even suggested that Dias deserved to win the EPL Player of the Year award last season, ahead of Erling Haaland.
Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich and South Korea)
Kim was seen as the long-term replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly when he joined Napoli from Fenerbahce last summer.
However, his superb performances in Italy - which saw him voted as the Best Defender in Serie A - prompted Bayern Munich to make him the third most expensive center-back in Bundesliga history just 12 months later.
Kim Min-jae has taken European soccer by storm since 2021
IMAGO/Ulmer/Teamfoto
Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich and Canada)
The rapid Canada international was once seen as one of the most promising wingers in world soccer.
But after adding defensive stability to his game, 22-year-old Davies has evolved into arguably the best left-back on the planet.
Rodri (Man City and Spain)
Rodri - who placed fifth in the 2023 Ballon d'Or vote - is unquestionably the no.1 defensive midfielder in the world right now.
As well as protecting City's defense, Rodri completed 2,977 passes in the Premier League last season and scored the winning goal in the Champions League final.
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid and England)
Bellingham, 20, won the 2023 Kopa Trophy and is the early favorite to win the Ballon d'Or in 2024 - after making a sensational start to life at Real Madrid.
He was widely regarded as a central midfielder when he arrived in Spain following three impressive developmental years with Borussia Dortmund. But he has scored 13 goals in his first 13 games for Madrid while playing as a no.10.
Jude Bellingham is the best player aged 21 or under in world soccer
IMAGO/Pressinphoto/Sergio Ruiz
Kylian Mbappe (PSG and France)
Mbappe has scored four goals in the last two FIFA World Cup finals. He has also won the Golden Boot in France's Ligue 1 in each of the past five seasons.
Many feel that the 24-year-old France captain has outgrown Paris Saint-Germain, with a move to Madrid seen as his natural next step.
Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid and Brazil)
Before the arrival of Bellingham, it was Vinicius who had held the title of Madrid's golden boy.
However, the Brazilian is now one of Madrid's most established senior stars, despite still being just 23. He is also the best specialist winger in the world.
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami and Argentina)
Mr Ballon d'Or himself has scored 26 goals in his last 20 international games for Argentina, including seven in seven at the 2022 World Cup.
But it is his creativity that would likely be his greatest asset in this XI. Messi is one of only five players in soccer history to have been officially credited with more than 300 assists.
Erling Haaland (Man City and Norway)
A record-breaking goalscoring machine. Haaland averaged more than one goal per game during his first season in the Premier League. He also scored 12 goals in 11 matches to help Manchester City win the UEFA Champions League.
If Messi had not won the World Cup then Haaland would have won the Ballon d'Or by a landslide.
Erling Haaland scored 52 goals in all competitions in his first season with Manchester City
IMAGO/Colorsport
