- Lionel Messi has been in the FIFA FIFPRO Men's World 11 more than any other player
- The Argentinian ace has been in the global team of the year for 17 successive seasons
- Take a look back at how Messi has made the World 11 throughout the years
The night of 15 January 2024 marked a new milestone in the never-ending career of Lionel Messi: for the 17th time he was voted by his fellow professional footballers into the FIFA FIFPRO Men's World 11, an unprecedented record.
The list of winners puts the feat in context: another giant, Cristiano Ronaldo, has won it 15 times, third on the list is Sergio Ramos with 11, and fourth is Andres Iniesta with nine.
The 2007 edition was Messi's debut – in 2006 he was on the 55-man shortlist but did not make the team in the end – surrounded by players who, with the exception of Cristiano Ronaldo, are now coaches, TV commentators or enjoying retirement in their own way.
FIFPRO looks back year-by-year how Messi became the king of the World 11 and who accompanied him on an unrepeatable journey.
2007
A 19-year-old Messi began to dazzle at FC Barcelona: second top scorer in La Liga with 14 goals and a first hat-trick to remember: 3-3 against Real Madrid. With the Argentine national team he was runner-up in the Copa America (2 goals and 1 assist). For the second time he was awarded by FIFPRO as Best Young Player of the Year.
World 11 team-mates: Ronaldinho, Kaka, Didier Drogba, Cristiano Ronaldo. The full team, HERE.
2008
An established starter for Barça, Messi scores 16 goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions. With Argentina he won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics and was a star player. For the third time he was awarded by FIFPRO as Best Young Player of the Year. He came second in the voting for the Ballon d'Or.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas, Rio Ferdinand, Xavi. The full team, HERE.
2009
Messi is the star of the Barcelona team that sweeps all titles: La Liga, Champions League, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. He scores 38 goals (17 assists) in 51 matches and is the top scorer in the Champions League (9). Wins his first Ballon d'Or and is named UEFA Player of the Year.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, John Terry, Andres Iniesta, Fernando Torres. The full team, HERE.
2010
Barça complete the sextuple by winning the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup. Messi scores the decisive goal in extra time to win the world title. He becomes the youngest Barça player to reach 100 goals in official matches. He is again the top scorer in the Champions League (8) and, for the first time, in La Liga (34). Wins his second Ballon d'Or.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Carles Puyol, Lucio, Wesley Sneijder. The full team, HERE.
2011
Wins his third Ballon d'Or, his fifth La Liga and his third Champions League, scoring a brace against Real Madrid in the semi-finals and a goal against Manchester United in the final in London. He scored 53 goals in 55 games. Also 23 assists. For the third year in a row he dominates the Champions League scoring charts: 12.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic, Xabi Alonso, Wayne Rooney. The full team, HERE.
2012
Fourth Ballon d'Or and second Spanish Pichichi (50 goals) for Messi in a season to remember: he was the top scorer in history in a single season (73 goals in all competitions), surpassing the record set by German Gerd Müller in 1972/73.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Radamel Falcao, Gerard Pique, Marcelo. The full team, HERE.
2013
Wins La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup, breaking the record for the most goals scored by a Barcelona player in the history of the Spanish championship. He scores in 21 consecutive official matches, another record. His numbers for the season: 60 goals and 15 assists.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Philipp Lahm and Franck Ribery. The full team, HERE.
2014
At the World Cup in Brazil he receives great recognition despite suffering a huge disappointment: Argentina lose the final to Germany but Messi is awarded the tournament's Ballon d'Or. A hat-trick for Barça against Real Madrid makes him the all-time top scorer in El Clasico with 21 goals, surpassing Alfredo Di Stefano.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Arjen Robben, Manuel Neuer, David Luiz. The full team, HERE.
2015
Historic records continue to fall under Lionel Messi's boots: in addition to his unprecedented fifth Ballon d'Or, he has now scored 253 goals, making him the all-time top scorer in La Liga, beating Telmo Zarra's 60-year-old record. With Barcelona he again won a treble (La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey), scoring 58 goals in 57 games.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Marcelo, Paul Pogba. The full team, HERE.
2016
Totaled 41 goals and 23 assists in 43 games played in a season in which he was once again vital in winning the Copa del Rey, the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. With Argentina, he finished runner-up in the Copa America for the second consecutive year and surpassed Gabriel Batistuta's all-time record as La Albiceleste's top scorer.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Luis Suarez. The full team, HERE.
2017
Messi wins the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, completing 54 goals and 16 assists in 52 games in all competitions. By reaching 515 goals, he surpasses Alfredo Di Stefano as the most prolific Argentinian goalscorer at club and international level.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Andres Iniesta, Leonardo Bonucci, Gianluigi Buffon. The full team, HERE.
2018
Yet another season in which Barcelona won La Liga and the Copa del Rey, Messi set a new record. This time he became the first player to score at least 30 goals in seven different editions of La Liga. With 34, he was the top scorer of the season in Spain. In total he had 45 goals and 18 assists.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, N'Golo Kante, David De Gea. The full team, HERE.
2019
As captain of Barcelona, Messi wins his first The Best FIFA Men's Player award, his sixth Ballon d'Or, his tenth Spanish league title and a new Spanish Super Cup. He receives his sixth Pichichi (34 goals) and is named by UEFA as the best striker of the season in the Champions League. He scored a total of 51 goals and 19 assists in 50 matches.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt. The full team, HERE.
2020
Despite the fact that being a few metres further back on the pitch took him a little further away from the nets, Messi reached his 700th career goal, as well as surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo in the number of hat-tricks in La Liga (35). He finished the season with 31 goals and 25 assists in 44 games.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Kevin De Bruyne, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara. The full team, HERE.
2021
Despite continuing to set records – he surpassed Pele's 643 goals for Santos to become the all-time leading scorer for a single club – and winning his seventh Copa del Rey, Messi's highlight of the year was winning the Copa America, his long-awaited first senior title with Argentina. He was voted player of the tournament after beating Brazil at the Maracana.
World 11 team-mates: Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, David Alaba, Jorginho. The full team, HERE.
2022
The dream year in Lionel Messi's career: winning the World Cup with Argentina. Seven goals - two in the final - three assists and a sublime level of play earned him the Ballon d'Or for the tournament. He also won the Finalissima against Italy and Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain. He breaks his first solo World 11 record with 16 appearances and wins his second The Best.
World 11 team-mates: Karim Benzema, Casemiro, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe. The full team, HERE.
2023
For the eighth time in his career, Messi is awarded the Ballon d'Or - for his achievements in the 2022/23 season. After winning his second Ligue 1 with PSG, he moved to Inter Miami, where he sparked a revolution. He won the Leagues Cup as the best player and top scorer of the tournament.
World 11 team-mates: Erling Haaland, Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe. The full team, HERE.
