Lionel Messi Misses Out On FIFA Team Of The Year's Starting XI For The First Time Ever

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has been left out of FIFA 21 Team of the Year's starting XI -- the first time since Ultimate Team was introduced in 2009.

EA Sports officially unveiled the Team of the Year for the latest title in the franchise, with over 10m votes cast from 185 countries.

And Messi, who has appeared in every starting XI since FIFA 09, missed out on a place to Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe.

Bayern Munich shot-stopper Manuel Neuer is between the sticks, with a back four featuring fellow teammate Alphonso Davies.

Davies is at left-back and Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold is at right-back, while the centre-back partnership consists of Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos and Reds star Virgil van Dijk.

Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is in a midfield trio with Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes and Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich.

Joining Mbappe in the attacking trident is Messi's fierce rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who is out on the left wing.

Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski, who was widely tipped to win the Ballon d'Or in 2020 before France Football's award was cancelled, leads the Team of the Year as the lone striker.

Messi could still earn a Team of the Year card next week when EA Sports reveals who was selected as the '12th man.'

The 33-year-old ended the previous season as Barcelona's top scorer, despite the Spanish side failing to land any major silverware.

However, the Argentine forward was in a high-profile battle with Barcelona last summer as he revealed his desire to leave the club.

Messi's future at the Camp Nou remains in doubt as the six-time Ballon d'Or winner is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with PSG and City.

Brazil legend Pele snubbed both Messi and Ronaldo in his picks for the FIFA 21 Team of the Year.

And Bayern Munich legend Bastian Schweinsteiger also decided not to pick the Barcelona captain or Juventus superstar in his Team of the Year.

Featured Image Credit: PA/EA Sports

Topics: gaming news, Football News, GAMING, Football, Barcelona, FUT, Lionel Messi, EA, Electronic Arts, EA Sports, FIFA 21, Team Of The Year, Ultimate Team, La Liga, Barca

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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