'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
As soon as FIFA announced the list of nominees shortlisted for the Best Player in 2017, fans scanned the list and shrugged their shoulders. All the usual suspects were named and since it was a 24-man shortlist, nobody really cared.
Of course, outrage and divisive opinions don't come to a head until the final three nominees are announced. But double-check the list and you will wonder why certain names are not on the list at the expense of others.
For example, Andres Iniesta's inclusion left even Barcelona fans scratching their heads. The midfielder was clearly past his best last season when the Catalan club had just a Copa del Rey trophy to show for their efforts. The 33-year-old ended the season with 13 starts, no goals and just three assists in La Liga.
Trending
So who should have been there in his place? As FIFA claims, they reward the best "regardless of championship or nationality, for their respective achievements during the period 20 November 2016 to 2 July 2017."
Note: All stats courtesy of WhoScored
1) Kylian Mbappe (AS Monaco)
Among all the players named on the shortlist, it comes as a surprise that not even a single AS Monaco player was named. The French club won the Ligue 1 title and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League against all odds.
And the biggest star among the lot was young Kylian Mbappe. The French striker scorched the earth in France with his stunning displays since the turn of the year and turned a number of heads at clubs around Europe.
If not for Neymar's sudden move to PSG, Mbappe might well have been the first player to shatter the £100m ceiling in the transfer market. With 26 goals in what was effectively half a season, it was shocking to see the teenager miss out on the shortlist.
Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year... Ligue 1 Team of the Year... Champions League Team of the Season... What on earth made the panel discredit a player like him anyway?
2) Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain)
Come to think of it, the only Ligue 1 player named in the shortlist is Neymar - who's only there for his performances with Barcelona last season. The list is understandably dominated by players from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich.
However, it would be criminal to neglect what Edinson Cavani achieved last season with PSG. The Uruguayan striker was in the form of his life, scoring a total of 49 goals across all competitions - including 35 goals in Ligue 1 (in 36 matches).
Yes, Ligue 1 is not as competitive as the other four in Europe's Top 5 leagues but that does not mean it should be rejected outright. Only Lionel Messi had scored more league goals than Cavani (37) but Ligue 1's weightage of just 1.5 to other top leagues' weightage of 2 saw him miss out.
But then what about the Champions League then? Cavani's tally of 8 goals made him the third-highest goalscorer after Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. It is the same tally as another nominee Robert Lewandowski but Cavani played fewer minutes. Doesn't that count for nothing at all?
3) Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur)
“Should he have been on the shortlist? Yes, because he’s showing great performances every week, in every game... And in my opinion yes, he deserves [to be on the list]." - Mauricio Pochettino
What the Tottenham Hotspur boss was alluding to in April this year was the list of nominees for the PFA Player of the Year award. Yes, Alli walked away with the PFA Young Player of the Year award but the Argentine boss felt he had done enough to be nominated for the big one as well.
Nobody could argue with that. Alli has now been named in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year for both 2015/16 and 2016/17. And he had had more than doubled his goal tally from the previous season.
The young attacking midfielder only turned 21 at the end of last season and finished with 18 goals and 7 assists in the league as Spurs finished second (22 goals overall). He had even bettered Eden Hazard's tally although the Belgian did have the league title going for him.
Alli displayed skill and maturity beyond his years and had he been at a top European club his name would be spoken in the same breath as the likes of Paulo Dybala.
4) Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich)
Personal accolades almost always go to the goalscorers. Defenders rarely get a mention and only the best goalkeeper in Europe usually gets the nod. But one area of the pitch that is usually overlooked is central midfield.
N'Golo Kante and Toni Kroos have made the list this year for their stellar performances and deserve their nominations. However, one must wonder why Thiago Alcantara did not make the list.
Bayern Munich saw three players nominated (Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer and Arturo Vidal) but the Spanish midfielder was sadly not among the nominees. The 26-year-old was a constant in midfield as Carlo Ancelotti experimented with various formations.
No other player in the Bundesliga made more passes as Alcantara (2,561 passes) and he was the only player to have completed more than 2,000 short passes (2,127 passes).
Couple that with a 90.2% pass success rate and Bayern had a lethal player who kept the ball ticking while also contributing defensively with 4.6 interceptions and 2.8 tackles per game. Alcantara also led the league with 125 interceptions.
5) Dries Mertens (Napoli)
After a stellar season with Napoli in 2016/17, it comes as somewhat of a surprise that no major club tried to sign Dries Mertens. The Partenopei finished third in Serie A last season but take nothing away from the Belgian forward who lit up the Italian league.
28 goals and 9 assists is what Mertens finished with in the last league campaign. After Gonzalo Higuain was sold to Juventus for a record fee and Arkadiusz Milik tore his ACL on international duty, the burden fell on Mertens to lead the attack.
Standing a little over five-and-a-half feet tall, the 30-year-old Belgian formed a potent partnership with Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon in attack, ably assisted by Napoli veteran Marek Hamsik behind them.
Mertens eventually ended the season with 34 goals in all competitions.
