The FIFPro Team of the Year has been announced, with the Arsenal man a glaring omission and Manchester United forward a surprise inclusion.
The statistics say it all, a superior goal ratio and one off a Premier League all-time calendar year record.
League goals in 2011, Robin van Persie- 35; Wayne Rooney- 24.
Yet the ‘team of the year’ announced at FIFA’s annual awards ceremony does not reflect what a fantastic landmark 12 months it has been for the Arsenal striker.
You can hardly blame nameless officials for making a bad decision here, the awards were voted for by fellow professionals.
They clearly need to widen their viewing beyond Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Man United, the three clubs whose players make up the entire 11.
Yes Rooney scored in the Champions League final, yes he ended the season as a Premiership title winner, but no he does not deserve to be voted as one of the three best world strikers, despite an improvement on an abysmal 2010.
But this article is not here to knock Wayne Rooney, Rooney is an incredible talent who just needs to step it up and become more consistent to truly merit such an award.
He should look to van Persie’s incredible goals to games ratio, maintained throughout a calendar year for inspiration.
Van Persie is the one who deserves the honour, and this should only inspire him to want to do even better this year to prove a point.
The Arsenal man should be included, his goals ratio is the only one in the top leagues to come close to Ronaldo and Messi.
But its medals which really count, and not even an inclusion would have compensated for another potless season.
Would van Persie swap his year of personal landmarks for Rooney’s Premier League title? You bet.
Final thoughts:
1) Could snubs like this influence Robin van Persie’s decision to stay at Arsenal or join a club like Barcelona?
2) Surely Manuel Neuer should have been chosen in goal rather than Iker Casillas?
FIFPro Team of the Year: Casillas; Dani Alves, Pique, Ramos, Vidic; Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney.
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
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