Ronaldo absent from IFFHS best squad

On January 5, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) announced the 2023 team of the year, including goalkeeper Ederson, defenders Alphonso Davies, Kim Min Jae, Ruben Dias, midfielders Lionel Messi, Kevin De Bruyne, Jude Bellingham, Rodri, strikers Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.

The squad does not include Cristiano Ronaldo, who was previously awarded the top scorer award for 2023 by the IFFHS.

IFFHS experts ranked Messi as a midfielder, as he often plays in a deeper role in 2023. In Ligue 1 2022-2023, Messi assisted 16 times for PSG and was the "Assist King" of the tournament. The 36-year-old Argentine also assisted five times in 14 games for his new club Inter Miami.

The IFFHS squad features five players from Manchester City, the club that won five Champions League titles, the Premier League, the FA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2023. Bayern have three faces, including Harry Kane, Alphonso Davies and Kim Min Jae. The remaining three spots belong to Real Madrid, PSG and Inter Miami.

Nine of the 11 players in the best XI won trophies in 2023. Messi won Ligue 1 with PSG and the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami; Mbappe won Ligue 1 with PSG; Haaland, Rodri, De Bruyne, Dias and Ederson won the quintet with Man City; Davies won the Bundesliga with Bayern; and Kim Min Jae won Serie A with Napoli.

In addition to the Top Scorer of the Year and Best XI awards, IFFHS also awarded the Best Player of the Year award for 2023 to Haaland. The Man City striker finished first with 208 points, far ahead of Mbappe with 105 points and Messi with 85 points.