The TOTY voting for FIFA 22 Ultimate Team (FUT) has been open since Monday, we dare to predict the best eleven of 2021 – with two Germans.
The Team of the Year (TOTY) is perhaps the most popular FUT promo every year. Discussions about nominees and final selectees start weeks before the first announcement. The 80 candidates for 2021 have all been announced since last weekend, with voting starting on Monday and continuing until 18 January.
The eleven to be decided by FIFA fans will feature a 4-3-3 formation – one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three attackers. In FIFA 21, beyond the eleven most voted TOTY players, a twelfth man and some Honourable Mentions had been released. We present our Prediction.
Goal: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain)
Although the 22-year-old has yet to finally assert himself against Keylor Navas at PSG, we consider him the favourite. Donnarumma owes this position primarily to his performances at the European Championship in the summer, when he led the “Squadra Azzurra” to the title and was voted player of the tournament.
Alternatives: Édouard Mendy (Chelsea FC), Jan Oblak (Atlético Madrid)
Central midfield: N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea FC)
Not only has the Frenchman always been extremely popular with the FUT community, Kanté was perhaps in the form of his life, leading Chelsea to victory in the top flight as both a stopper and a playmaker. Hardly anyone in the world can match his dominance in the centre of the field.
Alternatives: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan)
Right defence: Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
The Portuguese celebrated a commanding Premier League championship with the “Skyblues” in 2020/21, in the Champions League it was only the final against Chelsea FC that ended. Cancelo has also impressed so far this season, especially offensively, with three goals and seven assists in the league and the top flight.
Alternatives: Trent Alexander-Arnold (FC Liverpool), Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)
Centre-back: Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea FC)
At the beginning of 2021, the German international was virtually written off at the “Blues”, but a year later he is the undisputed head of defence for the reigning Champions League winners. Under coach Thomas Tuchel, Rüdiger’s performances exploded, his pace could set him apart from Italy’s European champions.
Alternatives: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus Turin), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus Turin)
Centre back: Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)
The Brazilian is the defensive life insurance of the French capital club – He balances the offensively inclined team. Like Rüdiger, Marquinhos also counts pace among his advantages. Especially against Manchester City’s Ruben Dias, the significantly higher speed should be the deciding factor.
Alternatives: Ruben Dias (Manchester City), David Alaba (Real Madrid)
Left-back: Alphonso Davies (FC Bayern Munich)
And speed is probably also the trump card on the left side: Bayern pro Davies would probably rise to 99 points as a TOTY object. But the Canadian would also deserve the award in sporting terms, with six assists already recorded at half-time in the 2021/22 season in the Bundesliga and Champions League.
Alternatives: Theo Hernández (AC Milan), Andrew Robertson (FC Liverpool)
Defensive midfield: Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern München)
The vaccination debate and Corona’s absence recently overshadowed the DFB international’s strong year in 2021. On the pitch, however, Kimmich was beyond reproach and took the next step towards becoming an absolute leader at Bayern – he is also arguably the most goal-threatening six-man in Europe.
Alternatives: Rodri (Manchester City), Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Central midfield: N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea FC)
Not only has the Frenchman always been extremely popular with the FUT community, Kanté was perhaps in the form of his life, leading Chelsea to victory in the top flight as both a stopper and a playmaker. Hardly anyone in the world can match his dominance in the centre of the field.
Alternatives: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan)
Central midfield: Jorginho (Chelsea FC)
We opt for the double Chelsea power in midfield – and with it a defensive option. Jorginho’s trophy cabinet really leaves no questions unanswered: The Italian won both the Champions League and the European Championship in 2021, and was also European Footballer of the Year.
Alternatives: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Thomas Müller (FC Bayern Munich)
Right wing: Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)
Messi’s inclusion is based on the same premise as in Donnarumma’s case: although the Argentine has yet to shine at PSG, he did secure the Copa America with the Argentine national team in the summer. As a Ballon d’Or winner, he is also one of the natural top favourites.
Alternatives: Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
Central striker: Robert Lewandowski (FC Bayern München)
In said Ballon d’Or vote, many fans felt the Pole was robbed, into the TOTY he should make it. Lewandowski set a new Bundesliga record with 41 goals in 2020/21, and was also by far the top scorer in Europe’s top five leagues with 69 competitive goals in the past calendar year.
Alternatives: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
Left wing: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool FC)
Not a few pundits were firmly of the opinion during the first leg of the 2021/22 season that the Egyptian was currently the best footballer in the world. Salah clearly outshone his prominent fellow strikers at the “Reds”, with 16 goals he clearly leads the Premier League scoring charts.
Alternatives: Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
12th man: Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain)
At the attacking positions in particular, the scrum is huge and it’s hard to make a reliable prediction – especially as the fans don’t have to line up positionally and three centre-forwards could also slip into the TOTY. Our twelfth man is Mbappé, who is not only a FUT favourite but also Europe’s second best marksman in 2021.
