When FIFA released the official 55-man FIFPro World XI list last Thursday, one thing was certain- there were some players who ought to have been in or out of the list. To start with, the voting process involves over 45,000 professional footballers, who are required to vote for their preferred player in each of the provided categories. The four main categories include goal keeping, defensive, midfield and striking.
However, if the list released by FIFA is anything to go by, then the global football governing body needs to reconsider the voting procedure. The votes should be gathered from the fan’s perspective, journalistic point of view, and lastly, the opinion of fellow professional footballers. By considering those three crucial sources, the results will be more accurate or at least, widely acceptable.
Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang
Take an example of the likes of Borrusia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang, who does not appear in the list, yet he has scored 17 goals for his side in 14 appearances, and provided three assists. At just 26 years of age, the Gabon international has already attracted interest from top clubs such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich due to his sterling performances.
Wayne Rooney
Quite interestingly, Wayne Rooney, despite experiencing one of his worst ever performances for Manchester United in his history at the club, appears in the list as a nominee.
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The England international has only managed to score one goal in the Champions League this season in four appearances, and provided no assists. In his 12 Premier League appearances for Man United this season, the 30-year-old has only managed to score two goals.
Mesut Ozil
Another notable exclusion from the list is Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil, who has been instrumental for the club ever since he arrived in England from Spanish giants Real Madrid. The 27-year-old midfield maestro has created 56 chances for the Gunners this season in the Premier League and provided 11 assists.
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He has a pass accuracy of 88% and 66% of them were forward passes. Such an attack-minded and creative midfielder, who has also completed 653 passes this season according to Squawka, ought to be among the 55 nominees named by FIFA.
Branislav Ivanovic
Statistically speaking, the likes of Branislav Ivanovic do not deserve to feature in the list, at least for now. The 31-year-old has made nine Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season, and has a success rate of approximately 39%. He has also made 14 interceptions and 24 clearances for the Blues this season.
One might argue that the Serbian was in sterling form for Mourinho’s side last season, but fast forward to this season, he has been a pale shadow of himself. Ivanovic has contributed to some of the most regrettable and avoidable goals Chelsea have conceded this campaign.
A perfect example is the 3-1 defeat to Southampton and Everton. Against the Toffees, he was responsible for Naismith’s first goal and to make things worse, he kept on providing a shaky performance throughout the match. The Serb kept leaping backwards with his hands crossed behind his back to obviously avoid a penalty, but that is all he could to do stop the advancing Naismith, who took advantage of the shaky defence to score a hat trick against the visitors.
All in all, FIFA needs to reconsider its criteria for selecting the nominees for the FIFPro World XI awards. This season alone, it is quite shocking to have the likes of Rooney, Ivanovic and Casillas as probable candidates, while there is no logical or realistic explanation for the absence of Ozil, De Bruyne, Aubamenyang, Bravo, Bonucci, Griezmann, and so many other top-performing players. If FIFA’s list represents the face of world football, then most probably, the likes of Aubemenyang and Ozil play their football in a different planet and it is high time they also get recognized.
