EA announced FIFA 23’s TOTY nominees and surprisingly excluded two Real Madrid defenders fresh off remarkable seasons.
FIFA 23 Team of The Year (TOTY) is right around the corner, recognizing the calendar year’s top 11 performers on the pitch and a few honorable mentions.
Before the highly anticipated promo begins, fans are able to vote for the TOTY and 12th Man. EA announced all 100 nominees to make the Team of the Year on January 9, and snubs such as Christiano Ronaldo shocked fans.
EA named Seven Real Madrid players as nominees for TOTY, but Madridistas slammed the decision to exclude Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba.
Exclusion of two Real Madrid stars from TOTY voting stuns fans
In 2022 Rudiger started 34 of Chelsea’s 38 matches and helped lead the Blues to the Champions League Quarterfinals. The world-class center-back joined Real Madrid in the summer and immediately made an impact. He propelled his new team to the Champions League group stage with a 95th-minute goal against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Alaba made 30 appearances with Real Madrid in 2022, playing a major role in the squad’s Champions League, La Liga, and Super Cup victories. The experienced defender was named to the 2022 La Liga Team of the Season and has started all 16 games in the 2023 campaign.
A Reddit user posted an image of the FIFA 23 TOTY nominees, and Real Madrid fans sounded off.
One fan responded in the comments, “Alaba was the clear number one center back for me last year. No World Cup hurts, but it surely can’t count for everything.”
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A second fan added, “They are trying so hard to force Premier League center backs. No Rudiger or Alaba is a disgrace.”
Out of the 13 center backs named as TOTY nominees, five hailed from the Premier League, and community members accused EA of being biased.
Real Madrid fans voiced frustrations, as a third user argued, “No Alaba? what a joke, I thought for sure he would be one of the TOTY center backs.”
Los Blancos fans still have plenty to be excited about, with seven players listed as nominees, but no Rudiger or Alaba will certainly sting.