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#3 Generous addition of Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne was unnecessarily included in the FIFA FIFPRO World XI. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Belgian is one of the best midfielders in the world. However, he had a lacklustre 2021 with club and country to say the least.
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The Manchester City midfielder scored 14 goals and registered 9 assists last year, ranking him 13th in terms of goal contributions among midfielders. Bruno Fernandes made a whopping 37 (19 goals + 18 assists) goal contributions, 14 more than De Bruyne.
In fact, De Bruyne’s teammates Phil Foden and Ilkay Gundogan were involved more heavily in attack. The former Borussia Dortmund man had 26 goal contributions, while the English youngster had a direct hand in 30 goals. De Bruyne’s selection definitely raised a few eyebrows.
#2 Mohamed Salah snubbed in FIFA FIFPRO World XI
Egyptian sensation Mohamed Salah is having a tremendous campaign with Liverpool. Many consider him to be the best player at the moment. The right-winger was nominated for FIFA The Best Men’s Player award. However, he failed to find a place in the FIFA FIFPRO World XI.
The problem started with Salah’s exclusion from the 23-man shortlist. The 29-year-old’s nomination for FIFA The Best Men’s Player came as a surprise since he hadn’t been a part of the 23-man shortlist released by FIFA. It seems as if FIFA contradicted themselves in both the awards.
With that being said, Salah is consistently scoring goals in the Premier League. His 16 goals and 10 assists rank him highly in both metrics. If the Liverpool forward is able to maintain this standard, he will surely feature in next year’s FIFA FIFPRO World XI.
#1 The Mendy-Donnarumma debate
Edouard Mendy and Gianluigi Donnarumma were the two standout goalkeepers of 2021. While the Chelsea goalkeeper was instrumental in the London side’s Champions League victory, Donnaumma carried Italy to their second ever European Championship.
Alisson Becker was the third goalkeeper nominated. While Edouard Mendy won FIFA The Best Goalkeeper award, Gianluigi Donnarumma was given the gloves in FIFA FIFPRO World XI. This was another contradictory decision made by FIFA.
Both shot stoppers were pivotal in their respective team’s performances last year. The Senegalese goalkeeper was better statistically, while Donnarumma was better at national level. The major problem with FIFA’s choice is that both awards contradicted each other.
