Swiss Trio in the Running for FIFA’s Top 11
Three Swiss players are in the running for a coveted spot in FIFA’s prestigious World 11. Granit Xhaka, Yann Sommer, and manuel Akanji all received nominations for the prestigious team, announced by FIFA.
The list considers 22 players from across the globe, divided into defenders, midfielders, twinkle-toed forwards, and eleven goalkeepers. Football fans worldwide can now choose their top team through the official FIFA website, where the votes from the fans count equally with those from renowned experts.
While fans have a say in selecting the World best XI, other prestigious awards like FIFA World Player of the Year, World Coach, and Best Goalkeeper will be determined by a combined vote cast by fans, national team captains, coaches, and media personnel, each category holding equal weight.
This year’s nominees for each award include some of football’s biggest names. Lionel Messi, despite a relatively less prolific year by his standards, still finds himself nominated alongside eleven other players vying for the title of World Footballer of the Year. His inclusion sparked debate as fans took to social media expressing surprise and calling FIFA biased after Messi was added to the list:
“What a joke, Messi is really the ‘son of FIFA’," commented one user. "What has he accomplished this year?" questioned another, mirroring the sentiments of many who feel escrowing players.
Cristiano Ronaldo, despite scoring over 40 competitive goals for Al-Nassr last season, didn’t make the shortlist for world footballer, sparking further debate among fans.
While the list boasts international stars, it lacks representation from Switzerland’s talented women’s national team. Just 16 women are contenders for the World Player of the Year award, including last year’s winner, Aitana Bonmatí. Winners for all categories will be revealed at a gala in January, which will see rival footballers awe-inspiring achievements recognized.
The Full List of Nominees:
Goalkeepers
- Yassine Bounou, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ederson
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Andriy Lunin, Mike Maignan, Giorgi Mamardashvili
- Emiliano Martínez, David Raya, Unai Simón, Yann Sommer, Ronwen Williams
**Difficult Reaches Not Included:
Keeper prie
Defense
- Manuel Akanji, Alessandro Bastoni
-
Guilherme Bremer, Liberato Cacace
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Dani Carvajal, Dante, Alphonso Davies
-
Nathaniel Phillips and Ruben Dias
-
Federico Dimarco, Jeremie Frimpong
- Alejandro Grimaldo, Achraf Hakimi
-
Mats Hummels Alistair Johnston,Ěá
-
Aymeric Laporte, Gabriel Magalhães
-
Nicolas Modeste, Nino, Antonio Rüdiger
- William Saliba, Jonathan Tah, William Troost-Ekong
Midfielders:
-
Luciano Acosta, Thiago Almada, Alex Baena, Jude Bellingham
-
Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Eduardo Camavinga, Phil Foden
-
Aurélien Tchouaméni
-
Toni Kroos
-
Takefusa Kubo, Fermín López
-
Martin Ødegaard, Dani Olmo, Cole Palmer
-
Christian Pulisic, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham
- Federico Valverde, Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka
Forwards:
-
Akram Afif, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, German Cano
-
Artem Dovbyk, Viktor Gyökeres, Erling Haaland
- Harry Kane, Ademola
- How do the fans’ perspective on the World 11 contribute to the legitimacy of the awards?
## Swiss Trio Hope for World 11 Glory
**Host:** Welcome back to the show. We have some exciting news for Swiss football fans. Three of Switzerland’s top talents, Granit Xhaka, Yann Sommer, and Manuel Akanji have been nominated for FIFA’s prestigious World 11. Joining us to discuss this achievement and the wider implications for Swiss football is renowned football analyst, Sarah Jones. Sarah, welcome to the show.
**Sarah Jones:** Thanks for having me. It’s fantastic to see Swiss players recognized on such a global stage.
**Host:** Absolutely. Tell us, how significant is this nomination for these individual players and for Swiss football as a whole?
**Sarah Jones:** This is a huge honor for Xhaka, Sommer, and Akanji. To be considered among the best 22 players in the world is a testament to their exceptional talent and consistency. It also shines a light on the growing strength of Swiss football. We’ve seen the national team perform admirably in recent tournaments, and having three players nominated for the World 11 shows that Switzerland is truly producing world-class talent.
**Host:** It’s great to see fan involvement in the selection process.
**Sarah Jones:** Yes, the fact that fans have an equal say alongside experts makes it even more exciting. It’s a true reflection of the global football community’s voice.
**Host:** Now, there’s been some controversy surrounding the World Player of the Year nominations, with Lionel Messi’s inclusion sparking debate and fan backlash. What are your thoughts on this?
**Sarah Jones:** Messi is undoubtedly a legend of the game, but some fans feel his inclusion this year is questionable due to his relatively less prolific season. This highlights the ongoing debate about the criteria used for these awards. Should it solely be based on individual performance or also consider team success and overall impact on the sport? It’s a complex issue with no easy answers.
**Host:** Providing equal weighting to fans, national team captains, coaches, and media personnel seems like a fair approach to avoid bias.
**Sarah Jones:**
It’s a good system in theory. It aims to capture a diverse range of perspectives.
**Host:** Lastly, it’s been noticed that there’s a lack of representation from the Swiss women’s national team in these awards.
**Sarah Jones:**
Yes, it’s disappointing to see limited representation from women’s football. There are incredibly talented players in Switzerland’s women’s team, and their achievements deserve recognition on this stage.
**Host:**
Sarah, thank you for sharing your insights. We’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on the results of the World 11 vote and hoping for the best for our Swiss nominees!
**Sarah Jones:** Thank you for having me.
