FIFA's The Best Men's XI of the year? What a load of bollocks! But at least those two English lads, Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham made it in there. About bloody time some of our boys got the recognition they deserve in the beautiful game.
Palmer had a decent run with Chelsea, helping them nab the UEFA Conference League and the Club World Cup. Not too shabby, mate. And Bellingham's been tearing it up with Real Madrid and on the international stage. The lad's got some serious skills.
England's finest get a nod
Palmer and Bellingham weren't the only ones flying the flag for the Premier League. Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and that Italian bloke, Gianluigi Donnarumma, who's now at Man City, made the cut too. Although, Donnarumma's gong was for his time at Paris Saint-Germain. Typical FIFA, always playing catch-up.
The French Connection
Speaking of PSG, those bastards dominated the XI with six players. I guess winning the Champions League gives you a bit of clout. Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele were all in there. Bloody hell, talk about taking over!
Barca's young guns
Barcelona's Pedri and Lamine Yamal rounded out the squad. Not bad for a couple of kids. But what about Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.? FIFA must have been hitting the sangria when they made their picks.
The other gongs
In the women's game, Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati made it three in a row, scooping up The Best FIFA Women's Player award. And England's Hannah Hampton nabbed The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper 2025. About time we had a keeper who knows their arse from their elbow.
PSG's Luis Enrique got the Coach of the Year prize. No surprises there, the smug git. And some bloke called Santiago Montiel won the Puskas Award for an overhead kick. Fancy that.
