TEN Premier League players have made this year’s 23-man FIFA FIFPRO World XI shortlist, but there is no place for Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool’s Alisson Becker is included along with Trent Alexander-Arnold – the only English player named – but there is no place for club team-mate Salah despite his impressive form in 2021.
Chelsea lead the way in terms of Premier League representation with four players in Edouard Mendy, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Romelu Lukaku.
Manchester United are represented by Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, while Manchester City duo Ruben Dias and Kevin De Bruyne make up the Premier League contingent.
Paris Saint-Germain trio Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are named along with team-mate Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Barcelona also have four players on the shortlist in Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Jordi Alba and Dani Alves.
Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, and Real Madrid pair Karim Benzema and David Alaba complete the 23-man group.
FIFPRO and FIFA ask professional footballers to vote for the World XI by requesting them to pick their best three players during the 2020/2021 season.
For the first time in 17 years, the shortlist has been reduced from 55 to 23 players in an attempt to resemble a real-life squad.
The goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders and three forwards who received the most votes in their position will be selected for the World XI next month, with the final spot assigned to the remaining outfield player with the next highest number of votes.
The World XI will be announced on January 17, 2022 during the ceremony of the Best FIFA Football Awards.
Men’s World XI shortlist
Goalkeepers: Alisson Becker (Liverpool), Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan/Paris Saint-Germain), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)
Defenders: David Alaba (Bayern Munich/Real Madrid), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Dani Alves (Sao Paulo/Barcelona), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Jorginho (Chelsea), N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Manchester United), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan/Chelsea), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain).
