FIFPro XI 2014: Predicting the 11 best players in the world

FIFPro is Fifa's attempt at recognizing the best players in the world for the past season. Every professional player in the world is invited to vote and help select, who according to them, is the best and deserves to be in the world's most elite line-up. Here is my attempt at predicting, based on the past season, players who deserve to be in the FIFPro XI

#1 Goalkeeper - Manuel Neuer

This is not even up for debate. There's not a single keeper out there that comes close to creating the kind of magic Neuer does on the pitch. Along with being an exceptional keeper, he's also a pioneer. He has added another dimension to the goalkeeping role with his impressive showing as a sweeper keeper. This was most evident in the recently concluded World Cup.

Neuer didn't just make excellent saves, but also joined up in defense, adding an extra man when needed, and aided in building up attacks. His tenacity made his team a very unpredictable beast to deal with. His impressionable performances have left a mark and goalkeepers from all over the world can be seen trying to replicate his style in leagues all over.

#2 Right back - Philipp Lahm

He was in it the last year and he should be in it again. There's not enough of an argument to be made against his selection. He is an immensely talented footballer - so much so that Guardiola prefers to play him in midfield. He’s the most consistent in his position, he’s an inspirational captain and he's just won the World Cup. There's not much this guy can't do and there isn't much he hasn't won. Simple decision really.

#3 Center back - Diego Godin

Godin is easily the most consistent center back in the last year. The base on which the foundations for Atletico's successes last season were laid, he's become a colossal presence in the defense often belying his team mates' abilities with his guile and tenor.

Godin's positioning and ability in the air are second to none. He's also a threat from set pieces, often chipping in with goals. His tremendous performances last season helped Atletico to their first la liga title in 18 years and only their second champions league final appearance.

#4 Center back - Sergio Ramos

Sergio Ramos has to be one of the best performing center backs in the game right now. One of the most consistent performers for Real Madrid, he has it all. He can pass, he can tackle, he's positioning is astute and he can be a disruptive force when need be. He also has a habit of chipping in with important goals. Ramos is the perfect embodiment of Real Madrid.

Often partnered with the volatile Pepe or the raw Varane, he has shown exceptional maturity in combining with the two and defending the Madrid goal.

#5 Left back - David Alaba

There are many good left backs in the game, but none of them catch the eye as exceptional. Most are prone to deficits in ability and others are flawed in application, but Alaba is one of the most rounded left backs in the game.

He has come a long way since his early days, and his potential is on full show whenever he takes to the pitch. He can be very attacking, almost like a periphery winger, and also defensive when required. He was a vital cog in the all conquering Bayern team last season and is most deserving of a place in the FIFPro XI.

#6 Midfield - Yaya Toure

Yaya Toure's stats of 20 goals and 9 assists in 35 starts seem more like a striker's stats. One could be forgiven for thinking it was amassed playing in a reckless and free spirited manner, for center midfield players are not prone to scoring as many unless they break away from team instructions, but it was done in a most disciplined and controlled manner. He was that good.

Toure ran rampant in the midfield, hassling opposition players and running destructively through the midfield. He was an effective distributor of the ball while also being efficient with his shots on goal. His performances helped City ease to their second premier league title in three years.

#7 Midfield - Luka Modric

Despite a tough start to his career at Madrid, he's become one of the most integral member of the team. His passing and vision combined with his discipline allowed Madrid to achieve their much vaunted La Decima. The Croatian is even more crucial to the Madrid side now that Xabi Alonso left for Bayern Munich in the summer.

#8 Midfield - Leo Messi

Messi needs no introduction and if he did, there wouldn't be words to encapsulate what he brings to the pitch. It speaks volumes of a player when, what is considered, his worst season sees him score 28 goals and provide 11 assists.

Hampered by injury, Messi was still a metronome, providing the kind of statistics that any ordinary player could only dream of. This season, under Luis Enrique, has seen him settle into a much deeper role, at the head of the midfield, and relaxed from the pressure of past years, he seems to be back to his best.

#9 Forward - Cristiano Ronaldo

Simply the best player in the world right now. There is not much that needs be said about Ronaldo, he is deserving of every plaudit that comes his way and no player can lay a better claim to being in the FIFPro XI than the Portuguese stalwart.

Winning the champions league has only served to increase his hunger for more and it can be seen from his start to the season which has so far yielded 16 goals in 8 matches.

#10 Forward - Diego Costa

Not many had foreseen the rise of Costa from Falcao's shadows. And certainly not to the extent he has. Costa's rise to prominence coincided with Atletico's first title win in almost two decades. It was no coincidence, there were occasions when he had to carry the team, and he did it with aplomb. His goals saw his team pick up the la liga title as well as making their way to the champions league final.

He had a very underwhelming world cup and critics were quick to jump the gun, but his performances at Chelsea have quickly dispelled memories of that ill-fated world cup. A return of 9 goals in 7 starts has firmly planted him in the echelons of the worlds elites.

#11 Forward - Thomas Muller

Muller is not the most aesthetic player in the world but he might just be among the most efficient. His uncanny style of play makes almost everything he does look easy, and fools might be led to believe it as well, but ask any player to replicate what he does and you might just see the depth of his skill.

Muller has had one of the most fulfilling seasons yet winning the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and the world cup. He was an important contributor in all three successes and deserves only the highest recognition for his achievements.