Mohamed Salah and Chelsea's rising star Cole Palmer were surprisingly overlooked when the FIFPRO World XI was announced on Monday.
Salah, 32, has been in top form for Liverpool this season, netting 13 goals and providing eight assists in the Premier League. Similarly Palmer - who scored 22 goals for Chelsea in his debut season at Stamford Bridge, scored in England's Euro 2024 final loss to Spain, and won the PFA Young Player of the Year award - was also left out.
The final 11 included five players from the Premier League, with Manchester City boasting four representatives following its fourth consecutive title win. Ederson, Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri, and Erling Haaland all made the cut, while PFA Player of the Year Phil Foden was notably absent despite scoring 22 league goals last season.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was the only other Premier League player to feature in the all-star XI, achieving his fourth nod to date. Remarkably, Salah has never been named in the FIFPro World XI. Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Alisson, Thiago Alcantara, and Trent Alexander-Arnold are the other Liverpool players to be named in the team since the award started in 2005.
The remaining six spots were dominated by La Liga champion and Champions League winner Real Madrid, with Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, the now-retired Toni Kroos, and Jude Bellingham making the cut. Vinicius Junior was chosen to play up front alongside Haaland, with Kylian Mbappe, who transferred from Paris Saint-Germain to Madrid in the summer, completing the lineup.
However, football enthusiasts expressed their dissatisfaction with the selection on social media, feeling that Salah and Palmer had been unfairly overlooked. One Liverpool fan wrote on X: "Mbappe isnt even a RW (right winger) - they are doing everything to disrespect Salah."
Another user commented: "Without C. Palmer, this is a fake list."
FIFPRO World XI: Ederson; Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Virgil van Dijk; Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Toni Kroos, Jude Bellingham; Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Vinicius Junior.