The FIFA Chief of Global Football Development was in Manchester on Thursday to hand out the remaining FIFPRO World XI awards to our players who couldn’t make January’s ceremony.
Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland were all named in the team of 2023 after a stellar 12 months that saw us claim the Big Five trophies.
We won the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup across the calendar year.
He was present in Jeddah in December when we completed that trophy with the FIFA Club World Cup success.
Wenger was previously Arsenal manager between 1996 and 2018 and is considered one of the game’s greatest ever coaches.
After presenting the awards and speaking to Pep Guardiola at the CFA today, he reflected on what has made City such a winning force.
“Manchester City had an incredible season, they were the dominant team domestically and in Europe,” he said.
“Rightly so, the majority of the best eleven men’s players in the world were from there, so we are pleased to recognise that with these awards.
“But all of the players and all of the coaches have done a fantastic job.
“It just acknowledges that they have been top - last year they combined efficiency with athleticism, they were very good to watch.
“Of course they crowned the year winning the FIFA Club World Cup in Jeddah.
“They were the superior team in the competition, and that was a consequence of the success they enjoyed before that.
“The club’s facilities are excellent, you want to create the best possible environment for the players and that’s what they have, and they also add quality to quality and in the end it pays off.”
