Two Chelsea men’s and eight Chelsea women’s players nominated for 2020 FIFPro XI

FIFA’s annual FIFPro World XIs will be announced at next week’s end-of-year gala, and ahead of those all-star team selections, the 55 nominees on both the men’s and the women’s sides were revealed yesterday. These 55 were selected based on votes from their fellow professionals, so the recognition does have some meaning — being recognized by your peers is always a good feeling.

On the men’s side [full list here], the two nominees are N’Golo Kanté and Thiago Silva. Both have been in imperious form this season. And while Kanté saw his previous season disrupted by multiple injuries, Silva also captained PSG to a Champions League final appearance.

On the women’s side, Chelsea’s stacked team provided nearly 15 per cent of all nominees [full list here], including ... deep breath ... goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, captain Magdalena Eriksson, powerhouse center back Millie Bright, goalmachines Bethany England, Erin Cuthbert, Sam Kerr, and Pernille Harder, and midfield wizard Ji So-yun. One would imagine at least Harder, the current UEFA Women’s Player of the Year would get chosen for the World XI, though more so for her performances for Wolfsburg than Chelsea (for now).

In any case, congrats to the nominees! (Those with the highest number of votes will be revealed and announced as the World XI next week, on December 17.)