FIFA 23 TOTY Honorable Mentions predictions
We dropped our FIFA 23’s TOTY predictions a few days ago, and they were as controversial as they could get. But it ain’t over yet - there are still a couple of things we can add on top of that, which is to say there are still the much anticipated Honorable Mentions left to cover.
TOTY Honorable Mentions predictions - FIFA 23
Of course, some of them will depend on which players will be actually voted as part of FIFA 23’s Team of the Year - we’re looking at you, Erling Haaland, and Karim Benzema. However, the list of players we’ve put together, based on last year’s and with the same roles, feels solid enough to share.
So, without further ado, here you have our predictions for the FIFA 23 TOTY’s Honorable Mentions, which are slated to be announced next week.
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
World Cup winner and the best goalkeeper in the tournament, Martinez has been doing well in Aston Villa’s jersey as well. Milan’s Maignan and the likes are still more likely than him, but he deserves to be (at least) here.
Marquinhos (PSG)
Good World Cup run, until Brazil’s unexpected defeat against Croatia, and one of the most solid defenders in Europe with Paris Saint-Germain. He’s one of the few who’ll always deserve a call when it comes to TOTY.
Thiago Silva (Chelsea)
The same goes for Thiago Silva, who gets better and better with time. He was ditched by PSG after losing a Champions League final against Bayern Munich, only to go on and win the cup in Chelsea’s journey the following year, and he’s still reigning to this date.
Fikayo Tomori (Milan)
He wasn’t part of England’s expedition to Qatar late last year, which was a highly controversial move from Southgate, but won Serie A’s Scudetto as one of Milan’s best players all around, so this is still well-deserved.
Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
Calling him a defender is a massive understatement - the Portuguese LB is Manchester City and Pep Guardiola’s ace up the sleeve, especially when it comes to attacking.
Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)
The same goes for Davies. The Canadian hasn’t performed exceptionally well lately, but he had a pretty positive World Cup run and still remains one of the best in his role in FIFA 23.
Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)
Jude Bellingham has been in the spotlight for the last couple years, and his World Cup performance was very good as well, thanks to the usual mixture of physique and technique he consistently delivers. He could easily be featured in the TOTY itself, so a spot in the Honorable Mentions is very likely.
Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
What a player - he’s everywhere! Uruguay’s run at the World Cup might have been disappointing, but Valverde’s season was extraordinary. Carlo Ancelotti would never leave him on the bench now that he knows how impactful this midfield engine turned out to be.
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Arsenal is leading the Premier League, and by a long margin. Part of the credit goes to Odegaard’s vision and composure in the middle of the pitch, and he’s also recently been recognized with a PL POTM card on FUT.
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Speaking of Arsenal, Saka is one of the most compelling wingers in Europe, and this could well be acknowledged by FIFA 23 players when voting for their TOTY. Not an easy call, but he’d deserve a spot.
Rafael Leao (Milan)
Rafael Leao is one of the hottest wingers around, even though he’s been picked as a Forward for the TOTY. He was almost nowhere to be seen at the World Cup, but his growth has been among the reasons why Milan was unexpectedly able to win the Scudetto last year.
Neymar Jr. (PSG)
He’s been doing very well at PSG, and was one of the rockstars at the latest World Cup with Brazil’s jersey. Neymar Jr. is a pleasure to watch, and feels very good when playing on FIFA, so we wouldn’t be so surprised even if he was featured directly in the TOTY.
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
Despite the palmares, Real Madrid was never expected to win the Champions League last season, but they managed to, somehow. “Somehow” meaning that Vinicius Jr. was the best at taking advantage of Benzema’s assists.
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
It took a bit for Lewandowski to make himself comfortable at Barcelona, after shocking the world of football with his transfer from Bayern Munich. It was only a short “bit”, however, as he started to bang the goals in after a couple of matches.
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
And here we go - our boldest prediction for FIFA 23’s TOTY was that Benzema wouldn’t be featured in the main list, and we’ll have to stick to it for a bit longer, we guess. It’s highly unlikely that Haaland actually steals his spot there, but rest assured that, if that happens, the latest Ballon d’Or will be here in the Honorable Mentions.