Portugal's Nuno Mendes and Vitinha honoured with FIFPRO World 11 trophies

• Portugal internationals Nuno Mendes and Vitinha were voted into the 2025 FIFPRO World 11 by fellow professional footballers
• More than 20,000 men's players from 68 countries selected their team of the year
• The FIFPRO World 11 is the only global football award decided exclusively by professional players

Portugal internationals Nuno Mendes and Vitinha have received their FIFPRO World 11 trophies after being selected in the 2025 men's global team of the year by fellow professional footballers.

More than 20,000 men's players from 68 countries cast their votes for the World 11, which was unveiled on 3 November 2025. Established in 2005, it remains the only global football award decided exclusively by professional players.

Speaking from Portugal's FIFA World Cup camp, Mendes thanked his fellow professionals for the recognition.

“I would like to thank my fellow pros for voting for me,” he said. “I am very proud and I hope we can have a good season, a good end to the season, so I can be there in the next one.”

Vitinha, who alongside Mendes helped Paris Saint-Germain secure back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles, said being recognised by his peers made the award particularly meaningful.

“It is an honour for me to receive this award for the first time, even more so when it is voted on by my colleagues,” he said. “It is a source of pride and a pleasure for me. I hope it's not the last one and I hope to continue at this level.”

The pair were presented with their World 11 trophies by Portuguese player union president and FIFPRO Global Board member Joaquim Evangelista.

2025 FIFPRO Men’s World 11

Goalkeeper

Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain / Manchester City, Italy)

Defenders

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands)
Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco)
Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)

Midfielders

Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea, England)
Pedri (Barcelona, Spain)
Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)

Forwards

Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid, France)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)

How did the voting work?

The FIFPRO Men’s World 11 is determined by votes from professional footballers across the globe, using a secure digital platform distributed by FIFPRO and its affiliated player unions.

Voting covered performances between 15 July 2024 and 3 August 2025, with players required to have made at least 30 official appearances during that period.

Each participant selected three standout players in each of four positional categories: goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, and forward.

The goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders, and three forwards with the most votes earned selection, while the 11th spot was awarded to the next highest-ranked outfield player overall.