FIFA 20 Team of the Year Complete Shortlist Revealed for Fan Voting Event
December 12, 2019
Fans will have the chance to vote for EA Sports' FIFA Ultimate Team of the year, it's been confirmed.
In a statement provided to Bleacher Report, EA said it will "launch the first global, fan-driven vote for FIFA 20 Team of The Year," with gamers able to log in to their EA Account and choose their picks for the Ultimate XI.
There are four position categories players can make up their respective fantasy XIs from. Here are the 55 players who managed to make the cut in their roles:
Attackers
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Arsenal
Sergio Aguero - Manchester City
Karim Benzema - Real Madrid
Roberto Firmino - Liverpool
Eden Hazard - Real Madrid
Harry Kane - Tottenham Hotspur
Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich
Sadio Mane - Liverpool
Kylian Mbappe - Paris Saint-Germain
Lionel Messi - Barcelona
Neymar Jr - Paris Saint-Germain
Cristiano Ronaldo - Piemonte Calcio
Mohamed Salah - Liverpool
Bernardo Silva - Manchester City
Heung-Min Son - Tottenham Hotspur
Raheem Sterling - Manchester City
Midfielders
Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City
Paulo Dybala - Piemonte Calcio
Christian Eriksen - Tottenham Hotspur
Fabinho - Liverpool
Kai Havertz - Bayer Leverkusen
Jordan Henderson - Liverpool
Frenkie de Jong - Barcelona
N’Golo Kante - Chelsea
Luka Modric - Real Madrid
Marco Reus - Borussia Dortmund
Jadon Sancho - Borussia Dortmund
David Silva - Manchester City
Dusan Tadic - Ajax
Marco Verratti - Paris Saint-Germain
Georginio Wijnaldum - Liverpool
Hakim Ziyech - Ajax
Defenders
Jordi Alba - Barcelona
Trent Alexander-Arnold - Liverpool
Leonardo Bonucci - Piemonte Calcio
Jose Maria Gimenez - Atletico Madrid
Mats Hummels - Borussia Dortmund
Joshua Kimmich - Bayern Munchen
Kalidou Koulibaly - Napoli
Aymeric Laporte - Manchester City
Matthijs de Ligt - Piemonte Calcio
Marquinhos - Paris Saint-Germain
Sergio Ramos - Real Madrid
Andrew Robertson - Liverpool
Alex Sandro - Piemonte Calcio
Thiago Silva - Paris Saint-Germain
Milan Skriniar - Inter Milan
Nicolas Tagliafico - Ajax
Virgil van Dijk - Liverpool
Jan Vertonghen - Tottenham Hotspur
Goalkeepers
Alisson - Liverpool
Ederson - Manchester City
Jan Oblak - Atletico Madrid
Andre Onana - Ajax
Marc-Andre ter Stegen - Barcelona
Piemonte Calcio is the name Juventus are referred to on FIFA 20.
EA confirmed the team in full will be revealed in January, with the Player Items relating to the XI available for a "limited time" soon after.
The 55-man shortlist is unsurprisingly dominated by Liverpool stars, with 10 of their squad making the cut. Jurgen Klopp's side won the UEFA Champions League in June and are sitting at the summit of the Premier League table.
Their star man in the previous term was defender Virgil van Dijk, who finished as the runner-up to Lionel Messi in the recent Ballon d'Or award.
Per ESPN FC, there was little between the two men in the race for the game's most coveted individual prize:
Manchester City, who won a domestic treble in the 2018-19 season, have seven players in the list, while Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus have five. Both Barcelona and Real Madrid have four.
Unsurprisingly, Messi makes the cut at the end of an extraordinary year. While Barcelona missed out on Champions League and Copa del Rey success, the Argentina forward was sensational on a consistent basis, helping Barcelona to La Liga success.
After a slow start to the current campaign due to injury, the forward has settled back into a trademark groove again in recent weeks.
Messi netted a remarkable hat-trick in the 5-2 win over Mallorca on Saturday, taking him on to 14 goals for the season already:
LaLiga @LaLigaENMost goals in #LaLigaHistory. Most assists in #LaLigaHistory. Most hat-tricks in #LaLigaHistory. Most wins in #LaLigaHistory. Most goals for @FCBarcelona. Most goals for Argentina. Most Ballon d'Ors in history. Most European Golden Shoes. The list goes on... 🌟💙 LEO MESSI ❤️🌟 https://t.co/MBosXkGeNe
Cristiano Ronaldo also unsurprisingly features in the shortlist, having won the Serie A title in his first term with Juventus.
With Messi also in the forwards category, the Portuguese will face stiff competition for a spot in the side. Per Squawka Football, Liverpool's Sadio Mane will be able to make a major case for a starting berth:
In the midfield positions, City duo Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva are worthy inclusions, while Frenkie de Jong is recognised, too. The Dutchman was sensational for Ajax last season before making his high-profile transfer to Barcelona in the summer.
Juventus' Matthijs de Ligt, who also flourished at Ajax before leaving in the previous transfer window, is among the defenders.
He will surely be fighting for the remaining centre-back spot in the side alongside Van Dijk at the back, with Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly another standout; Liverpool full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold will be tough to beat in the positions flanking the defence.