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#3 Most appearances in the FIFPro World XI
The International Federation of Professional Footballers or FIFPro has been forming a team of the year ever since 2005, based on votes from professional footballers around the world. The team is named FIFPro World XI and comprises of the best players of the world, which includes one goalkeeper, a back four, a 3 man midfield and 3 attackers. Since its inception, 2 players have been in the team a record-setting 13 times – Messi and Ronaldo.
The Argentine and the Portuguese both made their first appearance in the FIFPro World Xi in 2007, however, while Messi was selected as a forward, Ronaldo was voted in as a midfielder. The following year, they were named in the front three for the first time and have never been left out since.
Ronaldo has represented Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus at the award; he and Dani Alves are the only 2 players to have represented 3 clubs. All of Messi’s appearances have been for Barcelona.
A front line containing these two stalwarts can still strike fear into the hearts of every defense in the world, 13 years on since their first appearance in the FIFPro World XI. Messi and Ronaldo share the outstanding record of most appearances in the FIFPro World XI and the consistency in their game is a striking feature that sets them both apart.
