Fifpro World XI: Harry Kane the only England player on shortlist

LIST OF 55 MOST VOTED PLAYERS FOR WORLD 11

A record number of 13 Real Madrid players are among the top 55 footballers according to a poll to select the FIFA FIFPro World 11.

FIFPro and its affiliated player associations invited professional footballers worldwide to pick a team of 1 goalkeeper, 4 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 attackers who were the best at their position during the 2016-2017 season.

Some 25,000 professional footballers took part in the poll. The players who received most votes in their line are on the list of 55.

At the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony in London on October 23rd, FIFPro and FIFA will reveal the eleven players who collected most votes on their position: the 2016-2017 World 11.

The 2016 World 11 was: Manuel Neuer, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Andrés Iniesta, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo.

THE 55 PLAYERS ARE:

Name Country, (previous team)/current team

Goalkeepers
Gianluigi Buffon - Italy, Juventus
David de Gea - Spain, Manchester United
Keylor Navas - Costa Rica, Real Madrid
Manuel Neuer - Germany, FC Bayern München
Jan Oblak - Slovenia, Atlético Madrid

Defenders
David Alaba - Austria, FC Bayern München
Jordi Alba - Spain, FC Barcelona
Dani Alves - Brazil, Paris Saint-Germain
Jérôme Boateng - Germany, FC Bayern München
Leonardo Bonucci - Italy, Juventus/AC Milan
Dani Carvajal - Spain, Real Madrid
Giorgio Chiellin -i Italy, Juventus
Diego Godín - Uruguay, Atlético Madrid
Mats Hummels - Germany, FC Bayern München
Phillipp Lahm - Germany, FC Bayern München/retired
David Luiz - Brazil, Chelsea FC
Marcelo - Brazil, Real Madrid
Javier Mascherano - Argentina, FC Barcelona
Pepe - Portugal, Real Madrid/Besiktaş
Gerard Piqué - Spain, FC Barcelona
Sergio Ramos - Spain, Real Madrid
Thiago Silva - Brazil, Paris Saint-Germain
Samuel Umtiti - France, FC Barcelona
Antonio Valencia - Ecuador, Manchester United
Raphaël Varane - France, Real Madrid

Midfielders
Thiago Alcântara - Spain, FC Bayern München
Sergio Busquets - Spain, FC Barcelona
Casemiro - Brazil, Real Madrid
Philippe Coutinho - Brazil, Liverpool FC
Eden Hazard - Belgium, Chelsea FC
Andrés Iniesta - Spain, FC Barcelona
Isco - Spain, Real Madrid
N'Golo Kanté - France, Chelsea FC
Toni Kroos - Germany, Real Madrid
Nemanja Matić - Serbia, Chelsea/Manchester United
Luka Modrić - Croatia, Real Madrid
Mesut Özil - Germany, Arsenal FC
Paul Pogba - France, Manchester United
Marco Verratti - Italy, Paris Saint-Germain
Arturo Vidal - Chile, FC Bayern München

Forwards
Gareth Bale - Wales, Real Madrid
Karim Benzema - France, Real Madrid
Edinson Cavani - Uruguay, Paris Saint-Germain
Paulo Dybala - Argentina, Juventus
Antoine Griezmann - France, Atlético Madrid
Zlatan Ibrahimović - Sweden, Manchester United
Harry Kane - England, Tottenham Hotspur
Robert Lewandowski - Poland, FC Bayern München
Romelu Lukaku - Belgium, Manchester United
Kylian Mbappé - France, AS Monaco/Paris Saint-Germain
Lionel Messi - Argentina, FC Barcelona
Neymar JR - Brazil, Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain
Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal, Real Madrid
Alexis Sánchez - Chile, Arsenal FC
Luis Suárez - Uruguay, FC Barcelona

Real Madrid's current players on the list of 55  

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• 13 men played for Real Madrid last season, which is a record. The Spanish club held the previous record of twelve players, set in 2014 and 2015. One player left the Spanish club during summer: Pepe is now playing for Besiktas;
• 9 players make their first appearance on the list of 55: Jan Oblak, Samuel Umtiti, Antonio Valencia, Casemiro, Philippe Coutinho, Nemanja Matic, Harry Kane, Romelo Lukaku and Kylian Mbappé;
• 3 players return in this selection after missing out last year: Thiago Alcantara, Isco and Edinson Cavani;
• 12 players from last year’s list dropped out: Claudio Bravo, Serge Aurier, Hector Bellerin, Xabi Alonso, Kevin De Bruyne, Dimitri Payet, Ivan Rakitic, David Silva, Sergio Agüero, Gonzalo Higuain, Thomas Müller, Jamie Vardy;
• Of these 12, Xabi Alonso is the only former World 11 award winner (2011 and 2012). The Spaniard recently retired from professional football;
• Two players have been on every list of 55 since the first World 11 in 2004-2005: Gianluigi Buffon and Cristiano Ronaldo;
• No African or Asian player received enough votes to make the cut;
• The 55 players have 20 different nationalities. Nine of them are Spanish, Brazil and France both have 7 players;
• The 55 players were under contract at 9 clubs: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern München, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool;
• Philipp Lahm is the only player on the list who retired after last season;
• FIFPro and FIFA changed the format of the poll. Previously it covered performances over a calendar year, but now it is aligned with the majority of competitions which run from August to June;
• This is the 13th edition of the World 11. The award was established by FIFPro, the World Players’ Union, in 2005, and later merged with FIFA in 2009.

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Is Tottenham striker "HARRY KANE" a potential Ballon d'Or winner?

Harry Kane continued his quest to "break into that world-class bracket" with two goals in Tottenham's 3-1 Champions League group-stage win over Borussia Dortmund.

The 24-year-old England striker also scored twice in a 3-0 win at Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, which brought up his century of goals for Spurs.

He now has 103 Tottenham goals in 170 games, including 30 in his past 22 matches for club and country.
But is this enough for him to be considered world-class? And will he ever claim the ultimate individual prize in world football, the Ballon d'Or?

Why would Kane want to win the Ballon d'Or?

Ballon d'Or winners
2016: Cristiano Ronaldo
2009: Lionel Messi
2015: Lionel Messi
2008: Cristiano Ronaldo
2014: Cristiano Ronaldo
2007: Kaka
2013: Cristiano Ronaldo
2006: Fabio Cannavaro
2012: Lionel Messi
2005: Ronaldinho
2011: Lionel Messi
2004: Andriy Shevchenko
2010: Lionel Messi
2003: Pavel Nedved

It is football's Everest, Olympic gold, Oscar - the pinnacle of a player's career.
In June, Kane expressed his desire to join an elite group that includes Sir Bobby Charlton, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

"I'd do whatever I can to win that big gold trophy. It is definitely something I aspire to do," he said.
"Cristiano Ronaldo won La Liga and the Champions League and that is why he wins it. Messi is in a similar situation.
"To do that it isn't just individual, it is about a team winning trophies and, hopefully, that is what I can do at Tottenham."
That poses the question...

Does he need to leave Spurs to become the best?

Goals for Tottenham: 103. Trophies: 0.

Former Manchester United and Everton defender Phil Neville said Kane, 24, may have to move to claim more team and individual honours.
"He could have to leave Spurs to become that top, top, world-class Robert Lewandowski-type player," said Neville.
"If they maintain being a top-four team, that will not be good enough for Harry Kane.
"He needs to be challenging for Ballons d'Or.

He needs to be challenging for Champions Leagues and if Spurs are always going to be that 'nearly team', eventually he will want to leave and join a Real Madrid or a Barcelona.
"There will always be a doubt about Harry Kane until he gets to that level."
Kyle Walker left Tottenham for Manchester City this summer in order to "win a trophy", while fellow full-back Danny Rose suggested in August he might leave because of Spurs' perceived lack of transfer activity.
According to Neville, Tottenham may need to end their nine-year barren run without a trophy soon if they are to hold on to Kane.
What is Kane worth in today's market?
If Tottenham decide to sell their prize asset, what sum could they get?

According to the International Centre for Sports Studies' transfer value widget, Kane is now valued at 170.2m euros (£153.5m) - up 10.8% from the figure in June.
He has scored more than 30 goals for club and country combined in each of the past three seasons and his Spurs contract expires in 2022.
If he continues scoring at his current rate, his value could be even higher by the end of this campaign.

Why is Kane so good?

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino dscribed Kane as "world-class" following Wednesday's win over Dortmund.
Neville, co-commentating on the match, said: "Kane has the killer instinct of [ex-Netherlands striker] Ruud van Nistelrooy.
"He runs around and bullies defenders like Chelsea's Diego Costa. He is the most complete centre-forward I have seen for some time.
"All centre-forwards are selfish. Van Nistelrooy used to punch the shower and rip the shower head off if he hadn't scored.
"Kane has got that but he also has that other side where he is an unbelievable team player."

Who is better than Kane?

A provocative question, which no doubt has many of you shouting "Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid" or "Barcelona's Lionel Messi".
But neither of those current players - nor Paris St-Germain's £200m forward Neymar - had the sort of stellar start to their careers that Kane has had.
He scored his first 100 club goals in only 169 games. Last year's Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo took 253, although Ronaldo did not begin as an out-and-out striker.
Ronaldo had scored 529 club goals by the end of last season - a rate of 35.26 goals per season since he began his senior career in 2002.
Kane's current rate is 31.33 after three full seasons with Spurs.

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