Rio Ferdinand has selected his FIFA 22 Team of the Year from a talent pool of world football’s best performers over the past 12 months.
In partnership with EA SPORTS, the Manchester United legend has chosen who he believes have been the best 11 players in 2021 on his podcast, Vibe with FIVE.
Ferdinand’s team has a distinct Premier League flavour, with eight of the players currently plying their trade in England’s top division.
EA Sports revealed the list of FIFA 22 Team of the Year nominees for attackers, midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers earlier in January.
Let’s take an in-depth look at Rio Ferdinand’s Team of the Year:
Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)
Edouard Mendy enhanced his reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in the world during 2021. The Chelsea shot-stopper kept 29 clean sheets in all competitions throughout the year – only Real Madrid‘s Thibaut Courtois and Sevilla’s Yassine Bounou recorded more.
Ferdinand: When I covered a lot of their [Chelsea’s] games, in big key moments, he made big saves. I think that’s where you judge the goalkeeper position, all the nominees are great keepers, and they could all have their say to be in the team.”
Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Kyle Walker had another year to remember for both club and country. He lifted his third Premier League title with Manchester City.
In addition, he played a crucial role in England‘s route to the Euro 2020 final. Walker impressed defensively with his athleticism and ability to come out on top in duels. Jose Mourinho named him as his Player of the Tournament.
Ferdinand: “In the Euros it was one of the most dominant performances, especially man to man etc. Covering the ground, physically dominating every opponent. In the stadium I was lucky to be there on a number of occasions and you could see players noticed they were up against him and turned away.”
Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea)
Antonio Rudiger’s transformation throughout 2021 was extraordinary. At the beginning of the year, the German giant was on the fringes of the first team at Chelsea under Frank Lampard.
After the appointment of Thomas Tuchel, however, Rudiger took his game to new levels and is now one of his side’s most important players.
Ferdinand: “Since Tuchel has come in I think he has been one of the best defenders around. Aggressive, dominates, demands from others, the crowd feeds off the way he plays.
“All round, I think he has been tremendous and again, I think the element of a new contract has focused him as well.”
Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Partnering Rudiger in the FIFA 22 Team of the Year of Rio Ferdinand is Manchester City’s Ruben Dias.
The Portugal international won the EA SPORTS Player of the Season award for 2020/21 and helped his side to another league title under Pep Guardiola. His partnership with John Stones provided the bedrock for the Citizens to go on a club-record winning streak of 28 games.
Ferdinand: “To be honest, I don’t think anyone else has rivalled him in the centre-back position.”
Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
The third Manchester City player in Ferdinand’s XI, Joao Cancelo had a superb season for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Although more often used as a right-back in the past, Cancelo has proven he can be equally effective on the opposite side of the pitch. He has one goal and four assists in the 2021/22 season.
Ferdinand: “The production that this guy puts out is phenomenal. I think he was involved in 16 goals in 2021, for a full-back, phenomenal. He’s also had the most touches in the Premier League this season, dominating games from the full-back position.”
Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
The first player outside the Premier League in Ferdinand’s team, Thomas Muller has had another excellent year.
The German had an outstanding 2020/21 season, helping his side win the Bundesliga title with 11 goals and 18 assists. His numbers this season have been even more spectacular. Muller has five goals and 14 assists in just 18 league games.
Ferdinand: “Thomas Muller. Number one. Thomas Muller is in there. Because people may not watch on a regular basis, let me just read out a couple of stats.
“No player in the big five European leagues has provided as many assists in a single calendar year in 2021, which is 24.”
N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
N’Golo Kante was one of the stars of Chelsea’s route to the Champions League final. He then played a crucial role in Portugal as the Blues defeated Manchester City 1-0 to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.
The 30-year-old continues to be a vital player for club and country, with his work rate, stamina and ability to win back the ball consistently some of his key attributes.
Ferdinand: “Any team that gets picked here and Kante isn’t in it, I’m not having you.
“He basically single-handedly won Chelsea the Champions League. I think he won five or six Man of the Match awards on his way to winning the Champions League. All-round I think he’s a great player, you want him on your team. For me, he’s one of the first names on the team sheet for any manager.”
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain)
Marco Verratti continued to shine for both club and country throughout 2021. Alongside Jorginho and Nicolo Barella in midfield, he played a crucial part in Italy winning Euro 2020 this summer.
According to UEFA, the deep-lying playmaker was the top statistical performer of the tournament, completing 93% of his passes and recording 32 ball recoveries.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Starting as one of three attackers, Rio Ferdinand has selected Liverpool‘s Mohamed Salah in his FIFA 22 Team of the Year.
The Egyptian scored an incredible 37 goals throughout the calendar year and has made a sensational start to the 2021/22 season. So far in the Premier League, Salah has registered 16 goals and nine assists in just 20 games.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Rio Ferdinand has opted for former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo to go into his FIFA 22 Team of the Year.
This summer, Ronaldo made all the headlines when he rejoined the Red Devils from Juventus, having originally left the club to move to Real Madrid back in 2009.
He has eight goals and three assists in 16 Premier League games this season, but it is in the Champions League where his presence has been felt most. Ronaldo has smashed six goals in five games and is the main reason why United made it to the last 16 of the competition.
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski picked up the trophy for second place in the 2021 Ballon d’Or after another superb season.
The metronomic forward smashed in 56 goals for his club in 2021. He also broke Gerd Muller’s long-standing record by scoring 43 Bundesliga goals in a single calendar year.
Ferdinand: “My guy and the player who should have won all the individual awards this year as the best player in 2021, was robbed in 2020, is Mr Robert Lewandowski.
“There’s not enough I can say about this guy, he’s scored the most league goals of any player in Europe’s top five leagues. That’s enough, that’s all I need to say.”
Rio Ferdinand’s FIFA 22 Team of the Year
Rio’s XI (4-3-3): Edouard Mendy; Kyle Walker, Antonio Rudiger, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo; Thomas Muller, N’Golo Kante; Marco Verratti; Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski
Watch the full video with Rio Ferdinand here to see the debate in full, as Rio, Joel and Ste pick their final selections for the EA SPORTS FIFA 22 TOTY. EA SPORTS FIFA 22 is available worldwide now.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
