FIFA this week announced the candidates for the FIFPRO World XI, and to say some of the picks were questionable would be a massive understatement.
As per Sky Sports News, there were many of the usual suspects in the 23-man shortlist such as Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema, there were some huge names who missed out for some odd picks.
The likes of Mohamed Salah, Joao Cancelo and Raheem Sterling were omitted whilst Sergio Busquets, Dani Alves and Jordi Alba were all nominated for the FIFPRO World XI.
And as you can expect, many fans on social media were fuming with this announcement, particularly Manchester City supporters, with only two players from the Premier League champions making the shortlist.
Indeed, Kevin De Bruyne and Ruben Dias were the sole nominations for the FIFPRO World XI from City. Whilst FC Barcelona, who this season dropped out of the UEFA Champions League and currently sit eighth in La Liga, have four players in the running.
It only added fuel to the conspiracy that these sort of awards are nothing but popularity contests, with the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris earlier this month leaving a bitter taste for neutral fans.
City fans rage at FIFPRO World XI shortlist
Many supporters can feel cheated out of the FIFPRO World XI, and City fans can make a good case after an impressive 2021 which saw them reclaim the Premier League and make their first-ever Champions League final.
And with City just having two nominations for the so-called Best XI for the season, you can understand why supporters on social media are fuming with the announcement from FIFA on Tuesday.
Here’s what some fans had to say on Twitter about the 23-man FIFPRO World XI shortlist…
https://twitter.com/officalgilbert/status/1470756939944673284
https://twitter.com/BabaBooeyMCFC/status/1470772128135929861
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