Manchester City dominate a Premier League World Cup XI, according to ratings from sports statistics firm Flashscore.
Seven of the players feature for City and only one for Premier League champions Arsenal. Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes is the highest-rated player in the team, which you can see at the bottom of this article.
City’s strong cup campaigns played a major role in boosting player ratings while the Citizens also lead the way in terms of World Cup representation, with 19 players heading to the tournament. The Premier League itself is the most represented league with 173 participants.
Perhaps the most surprising inclusion is James Trafford, who finishes as the highest-rated goalkeeper in the Premier League.
While not among the league’s most high-profile names between the posts, Trafford benefited from Manchester City’s successful domestic cup runs, delivering a series of impressive performances in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
He ended the season with an average Flashscore Rating of 7.1 – the lowest figure among the XI, but still enough to claim the goalkeeper’s spot. The England international is expected to travel to the World Cup as his nation’s third-choice keeper, while Argentina’s Emiliano Martínez narrowly missed out with an average rating of 7.0.
Despite Liverpool enduring a challenging campaign, Virgil van Dijk remains the highest-rated defender in the Premier League with an average score of 7.4.
The Dutchman is joined by three Manchester City players in defence. Marc Guéhi, who arrived from Crystal Palace in January, ranks second among defenders with a rating of 7.3, alongside John Stones (7.3). Rayan Aït-Nouri completes the back four with an average rating of 7.2.
Just outside the XI were City’s Joško Gvardiol and Chelsea’s Reece James, who both finished with average ratings of 7.2.
Manchester United captain Fernandes is comfortably the highest-rated player in the entire team after an outstanding season, finishing with an average Flashscore Rating of 7.9.
Premier League-winning midfielder Declan Rice follows with 7.6, while Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka, a key figure for Switzerland, claims the final midfield spot with a rating of 7.5.
Several other midfielders came close to making the cut, including Bruno Guimarães (7.3), Elliot Anderson (7.3), Youri Tielemans (7.3), Florian Wirtz (7.2) and Martin Ødegaard (7.2). However, the exceptional ratings posted by the league’s leading forwards meant there was no room for a four-man midfield.
Manchester City’s influence continues in attack, with all three forward positions occupied by Citizens players.
Jérémy Doku leads the way with an average rating of 7.6, making him the highest-rated attacker in the Premier League. New signing Rayan Cherki follows closely on 7.5, while prolific striker Erling Haaland completes the front three with a rating of 7.4.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka both narrowly missed out after finishing the season with average ratings of 7.2.
