Messi earns 18th FIFPRO World XI place at 39 as Ballon d'Or winner Kane misses out

Lionel Messi has been voted into the FIFPRO Men’s World XI for the 18th time in his career, with nearly 20,000 professional players electing the 39-year-old Inter Miami forward alongside Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal in a four-superstar attack. Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, who claimed the Ballon d’Or this year, was left out entirely.

Messi, who last appeared in the XI in 2023, remains the only men’s selection based at a club outside Europe. His inclusion alongside 17-year-old Yamal and 18-year-old Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí gives the team a striking generational range: the combined age of the two Barcelona teenagers is just a few days short of Messi’s own 39 years and four months.

Barcelona and Spain provided three men’s selections in total, with Rodri — who won the FIFA Golden Ball at the World Cup after joining from Manchester City — completing the contingent. Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya earned his place on the back of a Premier League-winning and Champions League finalist season, despite serving as a backup for Spain at the World Cup.

PSG contributed three players: Morocco right back Achraf Hakimi, left back Nuno Mendes and midfielder Vitinha. Jude Bellingham’s selection alongside Mbappé gave Real Madrid two picks.

On the women’s side, Spain dominated with four players on the Men’s XI and five on the Women’s World XI, including three-time Ballon d’Or winners Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati. European champions England also placed five players in the women’s team — goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and defender Lucy Bronze from Chelsea, Manchester City’s Alex Greenwood, Manchester United midfielder Ella Toone and Arsenal forward Alessia Russo.

Orlando Pride and Zambia forward Barbra Banda was the sole representative with an African or American connection in the women’s XI, while no United States player featured for the third consecutive year. The last American selected was Alex Morgan in 2023. More than 6,500 women players from 64 countries cast votes for the women’s team.

Barcelona supplied five players to the 2026 Women’s World XI, though Putellas and defender Mapi León have since moved to London City Lionesses following Barcelona’s Women’s Champions League title in May.