EA has dropped the results of FIFA 21’s “Team of the Year”, which includes the game’s cover star, but not Messi, much to some fans’ outrage.
After so much feverish anticipation, EA has finally announced which players have made FIFA 21’s Team of the Year (TOTY). 70 of the best football players over the last 12 months were nominated, with fans asked to vote for who they wanted to make the cut.
According to EA, over eight million votes were cast to decide the final 11, though there is apparently one extra player that has yet to be confirmed.
GK: Manuel Neuer – Bayern München
LB: Alphonso Davies – Bayern München
CB: Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool
CB: Sergio Ramos – Real Madrid
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool
CM: Joshua Kimmich – Bayern München
CM: Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City
CM: Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United
ST: Cristiano Ronaldo – Piemonte Calcio
ST: Robert Lewandowski – Bayern München
ST: Kylian Mbappé – Paris Saint-Germain
The 2020 Champions League winners, Bayern München, provide the greatest contribution to the team, with one of their own featuring in the defence, midfield and attack.
Neuer starts in the team for the first time since Fifa 17, surpassing Alisson, Becker, and David De Gea. Just ahead in central defence sits the consistently featured Sergio Ramos, as well as 2019 Ballon’ D’or nominee Virgil van Dijk.
The promising Alphonso Davies flourished in Europe, rewarding him with a position at left back, whilst Trent Alexander – Arnold seems to be getting comfortable in right back, with this selection seeing him retain the position two years on the bounce.
Bruno Fernandes hit the ground running in Manchester, acting as the catalyst to United’s surge in the table, whilst Kevin Debruyne joins him in midfield as the Belgian star solidifies himself in yet another TOTY team. The versatility of Joshua Kimmich allowed him to excel in midfield and defence, granting him a position along side the Manchester midfielders.
Robert Lewandowski entered the draw as the most likely to feature in this years attack as he netted 40 goals in the calendar year. Cristiano Ronaldo came as no surprise, and continues to perform at an elite level in the top leagues around Europe. On the right, Kylian Mbappe outshines PSG team mate Neymar for a position in the front three.
In a surprising turn of events, this makes it the first FIFA TOTY to not feature Barcelona’s Lionel Messi. This has already sparked a debate over whether FIFA has ignored a portion of the votes to favour Mbappé, who happens to also be FIFA 21’s cover star.
However, it seems entirely plausible that Messi will end up being the 12th additional player if he has received as many votes as some fans believe. This also marks De Bruyne’s third TOTY inclusion in a row, having made the teams for FIFA 19 and FIFA 20, and Ronaldo’s 10th consecutive appearance, meaning he’s made more TOTY appearances that any other player.
Players can also look forward to special TOTY items being added to the FIFA Ultimate Team mode, but these will only be available for a limited time, so best keep a close eye on the game, and make regular checks so you don’t miss them.