No Kane, no Haaland? Meet the Alternative World XI that Fifa left behind
No Harry Kane. No Raphinha. No Scott McTominay in midfield. As ever, Fifa’s World XI has got fans arguing in pubs and online after the latest Best Awards was handed out in Qatar.
The official Men’s XI, covering performances between 11 August 2024 and 2 August 2025, was voted for by international captains, coaches and selected media. Only problem is, you only get 11 shirts. And when six of them go to Paris Saint-Germain players, plenty of top names was always going to miss out.
So here’s an alternative World XI. Same 4-4-2 shape as Fifa’s team. Same time period. Just the lads who didn’t get the call. And yes, there will be rows about it.
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Liverpool don’t win their 20th league title without Alisson. Simple as that. The Brazilian was outstanding once again, keeping 10 clean sheets in 28 Premier League games and bailing the Reds out more times than you can count.
Now 33, he’s still one of the best shot-stoppers around. His display against PSG in the Champions League last 16 first leg was outrageous, even if Arne Slot’s side eventually went out.
Right-back: Jules Kounde (Barcelona)
Kounde has made the right-back spot his own at Barcelona. Fifty-three games last season tells its own story as Barca lifted La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
The France international was also a big part of their Champions League run to the semi-finals, where Inter broke Catalan hearts late on at the San Siro. Solid. Reliable. Always there.
Centre-back: Gabriel (Arsenal)
Once seen as the quieter half of Arsenal’s centre-back pairing, Gabriel has grown into a monster. He’s now one of the Premier League’s top defenders and a proper threat at set-pieces.
The Brazilian played 42 games last season, helped Arsenal to 14 clean sheets and chipped in with big goals as they finished second in the league and reached the Champions League semis.
Centre-back: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan)
Inter’s defensive leader and one of Europe’s best left-sided centre-halves. Bastoni started all but one of Inter’s Champions League games as they reached their first final since 2010.
Eight clean sheets in Europe and 33 Serie A appearances tells you everything. Heartbreak in the league though, as Inter lost the title to Napoli by a single point on the final day.
Left-back: Marc Cucurella (Chelsea)
From boos to cult hero. Cucurella has completely turned it around at Chelsea and was one of their most consistent performers last season.
He played 54 times, scored seven and assisted four as the Blues pushed into the top four, won the Europa Conference League and later became world champions. Not bad for a lad who couldn’t cross a ball, apparently.
Right wing: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
What more is left to say? Salah had one of those seasons. Thirty-four goals. Twenty-three assists. Premier League title won by 10 points.
At 33, he swept up every individual award going and still didn’t make Fifa’s XI. Mad, really.
Central midfield: Declan Rice (Arsenal)
£100m looked steep once. Not anymore. Rice has become the heartbeat of Arsenal and one of the first names down on the team sheet.
Fifty-two games, nine goals and 10 assists, plus those two ridiculous free-kicks against Real Madrid in the Champions League. He’s still getting better.
Central midfield: Scott McTominay (Napoli)
Few saw this coming. McTominay has turned into a title-winning midfielder since leaving Manchester United for Napoli.
Twelve goals and six assists in 34 Serie A games as Napoli nicked the Scudetto on the final day. He’s also massive for Scotland, who is dreaming of a first World Cup in 28 years.
Left wing: Raphinha (Barcelona)
Raphinha didn’t hide his feelings after missing out, posting his stats online. Hard to argue with them.
Fifty-seven games, 34 goals, 26 assists. La Liga and Copa del Rey winner. Champions League semi-finalist. How that doesn’t get you into a World XI is anyone’s guess.
Striker: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
The biggest snub of the lot. Kane has actually gone up another level at Bayern and finally got his hands on silverware.
Forty-one goals in 51 games, plus 14 assists. He’s now on 78 England goals as well. Leaving him out just feels wrong.
Striker: Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Erling Haaland misses out here, but on last season alone Lewandowski edges it. At 37, he’s still lethal.
Forty-two goals in 52 games, including 11 in the Champions League, as Barca completed a domestic double. Age is just a number.
Fifa’s official XI was dominated by PSG, with six players included. From the Premier League, only Virgil van Dijk and Cole Palmer made the cut.
The debate won’t stop anytime soon. And that’s kind of the point.