5 deserving footballers who did not make the FIFPRO Men's World XI
The FIFPro Men's World XI for 2021 has finally been announced.
The squad notably features Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the headline positions, despite the pair being far from the peak of their powers. FIFPro also found a way to squeeze Bundesliga strikers Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland into the team to form an attack-heavy 3-3-4 lineup.
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By the players, for the players.
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However, the fantastic strikers are among the few who have made the list, with a number of highly talented players unable to make it into the team. Most notably, Liverpool’s Egyptian talisman, Mohamed Salah, failed to make the cut despite being a finalist for the Best FIFA Men's award. Salah has also scored more club goals (38) than Messi (34) and Ronaldo (34) in 2021.
The Egyptian is not the only player absent from the list, but his non-selection is notable especially following his comments concerning the awards. Earlier this month, Salah discussed winning awards like the Ballon d'Or but stated it was just politics:
"I want to be the best player in the world. But I will have a good life even if I don’t win [the Ballon d’Or]. My life is OK, everything is fine. Sometimes I feel it’s just politics."
Salah’s words will carry even more weight now, with the forward excluded from the FIFPro team while Ronaldo and Messi made the cut.
Here is a list of five players who have enjoyed a very successful 2021 and will be well within their rights to take their exclusion from the team to heart:
#5 Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool
It came as little surprise when Liverpool star right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold made it to the shortlist back in December. After all, the young star enjoyed a great run of form to end the 2020-21 season, aiding his team with seven Premier League assists.
This season, however, has seen Alexander-Arnold explode like never before. Just halfway through the campaign, the 23-year-old has managed ten assists in the league, the highest so far. His Champions League outings have been just as brilliant, with the England international picking up two assists in just three appearances.
With FIFPro's surprising 3-3-4 formation, it was rather unlikely that Alexander-Arnold would be added to the center-back slot. In a more realistic formation (4-3-3 or 4-4-2), the Liverpool man would certainly have been the main contender in his position.
#4 Mohamed Salah | Liverpool
Last season saw the Egyptian maestro enjoy one of his best goal-scoring streaks as a Liverpool player. The ongoing season has continued in similar and exciting fashion for Mohamed Salah.
22 Premier League goals in 35 games saw the star end up just behind Harry Kane in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2020-21 campaign. This time around, he's already looking like the clear winner with 16 goals so far.
Still wondering how Mo Salah was not selected in the FIFPro World Men's XI squad 🥴 https://t.co/8zLTxkYJiA
The star will feel hard done about his exclusion from the FIFpro XI, especially after Lionel Messi's torrid season has seen the Argentine score just one league goal. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, has fared better but has still managed just eight Premier League goals, half of Salah's 16.
The Egyptian international has arguably been the best player in the world this season and was deserving of a slot in FIFPro's four-man attack.