ESPN magazine recently announced the “best 11-player squad in the world” with a quality superstar lineup but also no shortage of surprises.
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois. Despite going through a rather dismal season, the Real Madrid star was still voted for by his impressive saves.
Left-back: Alphonso Davies. The star on the staff of Bayern Munich continues to play an important role in helping this club successfully defend the championship.
Center-back: Josko Gvardiol. Solid performances at both RB Leipzig and Croatia pushed Gvardiol’s valuation up significantly. He is currently a target of Man City.
Center-back: Ruben Dias. Dias’ composure and leadership played an important part in helping The Citizens win the historic treble.
Right-back: Achraf Hakimi. Although Hakimi was unsuccessful with PSG last season, he and his teammates in Morocco had an impressive performance at the 2022 World Cup.
Central Midfielder: Rodri. This is the unsung hero who helped The Citizens win all the big titles.
Central Midfielder: Jude Bellingham. At the age of 19, Bellingham is showing the qualities of a top passer. He moved to join Real Madrid.
Attacking Midfield: Kevin de Bruyne. The Belgian star continues to have another memorable season. However, he was unable to play the full UCL final due to an injury.
Left Winger: Kylian Mbappe. The striker born in 1998 is still showing impressive performance in both national and club colors. Recently, there are many rumors about Mbappe leaving PSG.
Right Winger: Bukayo Saka. Finally, a surprise happened at the right winger position when ESPN did not call Lionel Messi’s name but Bukayo Saka. Saka has risen to become a big star at Emirates. He was an important factor in helping the Gunners make a season beyond expectations.
Center-forward: Erling Haaland. The striker born in 2000 has quelled all doubts about himself when he became Man City’s top goalscoring machine this season. Haaland “bombarded” all the arenas and made a big contribution to the club’s historic treble in just his first season here.
By helping Man City bring home the first UCL title, Pep was voted the best coach according to ESPN.
The world’s best squad according to ESPN.
