Real Madrid and Barcelona stars dominate nominations…
SEE MORE:
Liverpool Legend Claims Simon Mignolet Is ‘Worse Than Dracula’
Furious Chelsea Star “P*ssed Off” By Team-Mate’s Comments As Tensions Grow
FIFPro have released the 20 defenders on the shortlist to make it into their World Team of the Year, as voted by players and coaches around the world.
Harshly, Miranda and Cesar Azpilicueta haven’t made the shortlist, but we’ve decided to rank the 20 names in the order of which we think they deserve to make the side.
20) Gerard Pique – Barcelona
Very lucky to get voted in. Pique’s been poor all year.
19) David Luiz – PSG
His shambolic World Cup performances see us rate him so poorly.
18) Pablo Zabaleta – Manchester City
Zabaleta’s enjoyed a solid 2014 with Premier League champions Man City.
17) Jordi Alba – Barcelona
Defensively poor at times, Alba also struggled at the World Cup, too.
16) Dani Alves – Barcelona
Barcelona won nothing, so it’s difficult to rate Alves any higher.
15) Raphael Varane – Real Madrid
Varane is s shoe-in to make this side one day, but in 2014, he’s often been used from the bench at Real Madrid.
14) Javier Mascherano – Barcelona
The highest Barcelona player on our list because he made the World Cup Team of the Tournament.
13) Vincent Kompany – Manchester City
Skippered City to title glory, but hasn’t reached the level he did in 2011/12.
12) Branislav Ivanovic – Chelsea
A consistently excellent right-back for Jose Mourinho.
11) Dani Carvajal – Real Madrid
Barnstorming right-back whose performances helped Real Madrid win the Champions League.
10) Marcelo – Real Madrid
Fantastic in Champions League triumph, dreadful in World Cup semi-final humiliation.
9) Pepe – Real Madrid
The Portuguese centre-back performed excellently for Los Blancos as they won La Decima, but has actually lost his place this term to Varane.
8) Thiago Silva – PSG
Excellent for Ligue 1 champions PSG, Silva would be ranked more highly if he played in a better league.
7) David Alaba – Bayern Munich
Probably the the best left-back in the world, Alaba has been faultless for Bayern all year.
6) Filipe Luis – Chelsea
The Brazilian was tremendous for Atletico all year as they won La Liga last term, which earned him a bumper move to Chelsea in the summer.
5) Diego Godin – Atletico Madrid
The Uruguayan was the cornerstone of Atletico’s La Liga winning triumph – performing heroically alongside Miranda, who deserves to be shortlisted too.
4) Mats Hummels – Borussia Dortmund
World Cup winning German centre-back, who could earn a bumper move if Borussia Dortmund keep struggling so much in the league.
3) Jerome Boateng – Bayern Munich
We rated Boateng above Hummels, because he won the Bundesliga, too.
2) Sergio Ramos – Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s leader in defence also scored a crucial goal in the Champions League final, and has been faultless this season as well.
1) Philipp Lahm – Bayern Munich
Captained Bayern to Bundesliga glory, and Germany to the World Cup. A career defining season if there’s ever been one.