FIFA released the shortlist of nominees for the World XI of 2015.
FIFA award season is coming and nominees are being named. The 55 players nominated for the World XI honor has been released and it includes a lot of the usual suspects.
The list is dominated by big clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Andrea Pirlo is nominated as a New York City FC player, a big deal for a Major League Soccer player to find themselves nominated on the list, though it probably has more to do with his run to the Champions League final with Juventus than his new club.
The 55-player shortlist: (home country/club)
Goalkeepers (5):
- Gianluigi Buffon (Italy/Juventus)
- Iker Casillas (Spain/FC Porto)
- David De Gea (Spain/Manchester United)
- Keylor Navas (Costa Rica/Real Madrid)
- Manuel Neuer (Germany/FC Bayern Munich)
Defenders (20):
- David Alaba (Austria/FC Bayern Munich)
- Jordi Alba (Spain/FC Barcelona)
- Jérôme Boateng (Germany/FC Bayern Munich)
- Daniel Carvajal (Spain/Real Madrid)
- Giorgio Chiellini (Italy/Juventus)
- Dani Alves (Brazil/FC Barcelona)
- David Luiz (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain)
- Diego Godín (Uruguay/Atletico Madrid)
- Mats Hummels (Germany/Borussia Dortmund)
- Branislav Ivanović (Serbia/Chelsea)
- Vincent Kompany (Belgium/Manchester City)
- Philipp Lahm (Germany/FC Bayern Munich)
- Marcelo (Brazil/Real Madrid)
- Javier Mascherano (Argentina/FC Barcelona)
- Pepe (Portugal/Real Madrid), Gerard Piqué (Spain/FC Barcelona)
- Sergio Ramos (Spain/Real Madrid)
- John Terry (England/Chelsea)
- Thiago Silva (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain)
- Raphaël Varane (France/Real Madrid)
Midfielders (15):
- Thiago Alcântara (Spain/FC Bayern Munich)
- Xabi Alonso (Spain/FC Bayern Munich)
- Sergio Busquets (Spain/FC Barcelona)
- Eden Hazard (Belgium/Chelsea)
- Andrés Iniesta (Spain/FC Barcelona)
- Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid)
- Luka Modrić (Croatia/Real Madrid)
- Andrea Pirlo (Italy/New York City FC)
- Paul Pogba (France/Juventus)
- Ivan Rakitić (Croatia/FC Barcelona)
- James Rodríguez (Colombia/Real Madrid)
- David Silva (Spain/Manchester City)
- Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast/Manchester City)
- Marco Verratti (Italy/Paris Saint-Germain)
- Arturo Vidal (Chile/FC Bayern Munich)
Strikers (15):
- Sergio Agüero (Argentina/Manchester City)
- Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid)
- Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
- Douglas Costa (Brazil/FC Bayern Munich)
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)
- Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden/Paris Saint-Germain)
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland/FC Bayern Munich)
- Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona)
- Thomas Müller (Germany/FC Bayern Munich)
- Neymar (Brazil/FC Barcelona)
- Arjen Robben (Netherlands/FC Bayern Munich)
- Wayne Rooney (England/Manchester United)
- Alexis Sánchez (Chile/Arsenal)
- Luis Suárez (Uruguay/FC Barcelona)
- Carlos Tevez (Argentina/Boca Juniors)