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The 2023 FIFA FIFPRO Men's World XI was revealed on Wednesday, but fans are in disbelief that Cristiano Ronaldo made the cut ahead of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Alisson.
A list of 23 best players for the year was revealed, with Cristiano Ronaldo included, even as the star moved to Saudi Arabia to continue his professional career. That particularly irked Liverpool fans, as the Portuguese international was named ahead of Mohamed Salah and Alisson, two players who had a great year with the Reds.
Thibaut Courtois, Ederson and Emiliano Martinez were the goalkeepers included. In the list of forwards, Karim Benzema, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Lionel Messi and Vinicius Junior were named, along with Ronaldo.
Although it was a trophyless year for the Reds, Salah and Alisson were key players and made huge impact from their respective positions for Jurgen Klopp's side.
Fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to make their disappointment known. One user asked where were Salah and Alisson, while another wrote that it was a "disgrace" to put Ronaldo over Salah.
Here are some of the best reactions to Liverpool duo's absence from the FIFPRO World XI:
Ronaldo's 2023 achievements are underrated
Cristiano Ronaldo left Europe for the first time and joined the lesser-lights of the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr. He hit the ground running but struggled with consistency.
In the second half of 2023, the Portuguese forward was back to his best, scoring goals galore. Now one can make a case that it's not a top European league, but to bang in 54 goals - more than anyone in the year - at the age of 38 is quite remarkable.
By comparison, his arch-rival Lionel Messi had an underwhelming 2023. Not only was he eclipsed by Kylian Mbappe at PSG, but he moved to Inter Miami during the summer, where he started brightly but eventually faded due to injuries.
