The players have spoken.
The 2014 FIFA World XI was revealed on Monday at the annual Ballon d'Or gala, with 20,000 players worldwide voting to determine who cracked the star-studded lineup as one of the best at their position for the year.
Here are the results:
- Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich and Germany)
- Defender: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid and Spain)
- Defender: David Luiz (Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil)
- Defender: Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil)
- Defender: Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich and Germany)
- Midfielder: Angel Di Maria (Manchester United and Argentina)
- Midfielder: Toni Kroos (Real Madrid and Germany)
- Midfielder: Andres Iniesta (Barcelona and Spain)
- Forward: Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich and Netherlands)
- Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina)
- Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal)
Most are there on merit, but some are certainly riding a wave of popularity. We're looking at you, David Luiz.
Surprising as a couple of those inclusions may be, it does say a lot about the respect these players have from their peers when you consider the voting process: