Bastian Schweinsteiger & Rio Ferdinand pick their FIFA 21 Team of the Year

Bill Cooney

Football legends Bastian Schweinsteiger and Rio Ferdinand have shared their TOTY picks for FIFA 21 Ultimate Team, so let’s take a look at which players the pair have decided deserve the ultimate honor in FUT.

Team of the Year is working a bit differently in FIFA 21 than it has in the past, but one thing that hasn’t changed is that players still have the chance to vote on their picks for who should make the exclusive side.

That means absolutely everyone who plays gets the chance to have their choice counted, and now former professional footballers Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany and Rio Ferdinand from England – both of whom are ICONS in FUT – have revealed their picks.

Bastian Schweinsteiger’s TOTY picks

Since his video was tweeted first, we’ll begin with Schweinsteiger’s choices for who he thinks should make the cut. Notably, the legend left out Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from his 3-4-3 lineup, but as you would expect, he also features some of the best German stars right now.

First, is keeper Manuel Neuer; then Marquinhos, Virgil Van Dijk, and Sergio Ramos make up his defensive backline, while at midfield it’s Joshua Kimmich, Raphael Guerreiro, Jordan Henderson, and Kevin De Bruyne.

Instead of Messi or Ronaldo up front (which some fans see as a major snub), Schweinsteiger went with what he called 3 “real weapons” in Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Robert Lewandowski. 

Schweinsteiger’s FIFA 21 TOTY

  • GK: Maneul Neuer — Bayern Munich
  • CB: Sergio Ramos — Real Madrid
  • CB: Virgil Van Dijk — Liverpool
  • CB: Marquinhos — Paris Saint-Germain
  • LM: Raphael Guerreiro — Borussia Dortmund
  • RM: Joshua Kimmich — Bayern Munich
  • CM: Jordan Henderson — Liverpool
  • CM: Kevin De Bruyne — Manchester City
  • LW: Neymar Jr. — Paris Saint-Germain
  • RW: Kylian Mbappe — Paris Saint-Germain
  • ST: Robert Lewandowski — Bayern Munich

Rio Ferdinand’s TOTY picks

Ferdinand chose to go with a more classic 4-3-3 lineup, and starting things right off with the Premier League and Liverpool’s Alisson Becker at keeper, explaining that “if you want Mr. Consistency. Mr. Quiet, but get my job done. He’s the man. Simple as.”

Like Schweinsteiger, Virgil Van Dijk and Sergio Ramos also found their way into Rio’s TOTY selection, joined by Alphonso Davies and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Kevin De Bruyne, who Ferdinand called “the best midfielder in the Premier League” also made this team as well, along with Thiago “The Artist” and the most “intelligent” player in the Prem, again is Jason Kimmich.

Robert Lewandowski could very well be a TOTY pick, as he was selected by both legends, and unlike his German counterpart, Ferdinand was more than happy to include Ronaldo in his forward three, along with Sadio Mané.

“No need to explain why. Goals, goals, goals,” the Manchester United leged said of his attacker picks.

Ferdinand’s FIFA 21 TOTY

  • GK: Alisson Becker — Liverpool
  • CB: Sergio Ramos — Real Madrid
  • CB: Virgil Van Dijk — Liverpool
  • LB: Alphonso Davies — Bayern Munich
  • RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold — Liverpool
  • CM: Kevin De Bruyne — Manchester City
  • CM: Thiago — Liverpool
  • CM: Joshua Kimmich — Bayern Munich
  • ST: Robert Lewandowski — Bayern Munich
  • ST: Cristiano Ronaldo — Juventus
  • ST: Sadio Mane — Liverpool

As always be sure to follow us on Twitter @UltimateTeamUK to keep up with Dexerto as the TOTY release draws ever closer. You can bet we’ll have all the updates, news, and any SBCs that happen when the players are revealed and the promo goes live.

About The Author

Bill is a former writer at Dexerto based in Iowa, who covered esports, gaming and online entertainment for more than two years. With the US team, Bill covered Overwatch, CSGO, Influencer culture, and everything in between.