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The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony was conducted in Milan on the 23rd of September and plenty of football fanatics awaited that particular occasion with bated breath.
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Virgil Van Dijk were vying to be crowned the Best Men’s Player while the FIFA FIFPro Men’s World11 was also a source of intrigue.
Unsurprisingly, the diminutive Argentine took home the premier prize after conjuring a breath-taking 2018-19 season.
However, contrastingly, the World11 threw up its fair share of questionable selections and it ultimately, left most across the globe scratching their heads.
The team comprised of Alisson Becker as the goalkeeper whereas Marcelo, Matthijs de Ligt, Sergio Ramos and Van Dijk made the cut as defenders.
In the middle third, Frenkie de Jong and Luka Modric were preferred while Eden Hazard, Kylian Mbappe, Messi and Ronaldo rounded off the attacking quartet.
However, there were numerous footballers that could and rather should consider themselves unlucky to have not scooped up the glamorous accolade.
Thus, through the course of this article, we would take a look at five such players who certainly deserved to be included.
Honourable mentions: Dusan Tadic (Ajax), Mohammed Salah (Liverpool) and Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)
#5 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
The Liverpool full-back has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past eighteen months and unfortunately for oppositions, he isn’t showing any signs of letting up.
In the 2018-19 season, Trent Alexander-Arnold was magnificent for the Reds as they laid their hands on the Champions League and nearly ended their elusive wait for the Premier League.
Through the course of the campaign, the defender managed to accumulate 15 assists in the aforementioned competitions and also made the net bulge once.
More importantly though, he provided Liverpool with a constant attacking outlet down the flanks, thereby allowing the Reds’ famed front three to come in-field and wreak havoc.
On the defensive front, he was sound too and ensured that the Merseysiders kept things quiet at the back.
Thus, the right-back performed all the roles asked of him and looked primed to make it to the World 11.
However, that didn’t materialise as the Englishman was overlooked. His omission was even more startling considering Sergio Ramos, who endured a torrid 2018-19 season, was preferred in the team.
Yet, considering the form Alexander-Arnold is in, one wouldn’t put it past him challenging for those spots this time next year.
Also check out: Premier League Table La Liga Table Champions League Schedule
#4 Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Over the past couple of seasons, Raheem Sterling has catapulted himself among Europe’s elite footballers. A combination of him working alongside Pep Guardiola and the Englishman coming off age, has meant that he has become a genuine force to be reckoned with, both domestically and in Europe.
The forward’s numbers last season were a testament to the aforementioned statement as he netted 17 times in the Premier League while doing so on 5 occasions in the Champions League.
Additionally, he also bagged 12 assists across both competitions, with 10 of those coming in the league.
In comparison, Ronaldo, one of those shortlisted for the Best Men’s Player Award, scored only five more goals and laid on a couple of assists less, despite playing much more centrally than Sterling.
Thus, on sheer statistics, Sterling certainly deserved a place in the World 11, let alone the 10-man shortlist for the individual prize.
However, rather puzzlingly, the Englishman missed out on both counts. Consequently, the question of whether these awards are solely meant to satiate the thirsts of marketing magnets has reared its ugly head, again.
And, while that is a debate one would be better served not indulging in, it definitely is something to ponder upon.
#3 Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Sadio Mane has been in scintillating form since the start of last season and he nearly powered Liverpool to their maiden Premier League triumph in 2018-19. However, his endeavours did yield a trophy last term when the Reds beat Tottenham Hotspur in the final to clinch Europe’s premier club competition.
Throughout the campaign, Mane was one of the most vital cogs of the Liverpool offensive wheel as Jurgen Klopp’s men drove teams into submission, courtesy their relentless attacking verve.
The Senegalese forward racked up 22 goals in the league and added four more in the Champions League.
However, the most impressive aspect of his play was that he popped up whenever push came to shove for Liverpool.
He was on hand to win the penalty in the final and he also sublimely chipped Manuel Neuer in the Round of 16, when the game was tantalisingly placed.
Thus, the forward warranted a place in the World 11 based on his contributions and the timing of them.
Yet, unfortunately, he found himself frozen when the list was announced in Milan on the 23rd of September.
#2 Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
The Portuguese midfielder was signed by Manchester City in the summer of 2017 and he encountered teething problems in England. However, in the 2018 off-season, he turned a corner and since then, he has put in several irresistible displays for club and country.
Originally signed as a wide midfielder, Bernardo Silva has successfully made the transition to a more central role. Though Guardiola might not have planned for such an eventuality, the prolonged absence of Kevin De Bruyne last term meant that the Portuguese was thrust into the deep end.
However, Bernardo passed those tests with such flying colours that the Cityzens barely missed the Belgian last term.
The midfielder’s immense performances helped City complete an unprecedented domestic quadruple (if one includes the Community Shield). Moreover, they notched up the second highest tally ever in the Premier League, falling just short of the record they’d set a year earlier.
On the international front, Bernardo was just as important to Portugal’s fortunes as the Seleccao won the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League.
In the knock-out phase, the midfielder was adjudged the Best Player and hence, many felt that he would be in contention for all the top individual awards.
Yet, rather perplexingly, he has failed to feature in both the 10-man shortlist for the Best Men’s Player Award and the Best Men’s World11.
That particular decision is made even more astonishing considering Luka Modric, who endured a wretched season, got the nod ahead of Bernardo.
The 2018 Ballon d' Or was awarded to the Croatian after he helped his country reach the World Cup final and Real Madrid won the Champions League.
Thus, several opined that the importance accorded to raw numbers and the subsequent preference for forwards was waning.
And, while the latter point may be true, the former certainly didn’t come to fruition when jotting down the best players of last season, a fact emphasised by Bernardo’s absence.
After all, Modric was showered with all those praises for winning numerous tournaments. And, when Bernardo produced even better achievements, the Portuguese was given the cold shoulder, rather disappointingly.
#1 Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
The FIFA FIFPro Best Men’s World11 made an alarmingly high number of headlines for the astounding selections it entailed. However, one couldn’t help but wonder if Marcelo’s inclusion over Andrew Robertson was the most appalling of them all.
The Scottish international has propelled himself into one of the world’s best full-backs and arguably the best left-back on the planet.
Last season, he amassed 11 assists in the league and supplied ammunition for two goals in the Champions League.
Moreover, he was a menace down the left flank for Liverpool, where his telepathic understanding with Mane caused the most stoic of defences problems.
Blessed with unparalleled energy and technical ability, Robertson also showcased his leadership attributes when the Reds needed it most.
The game against Barcelona quickly springs to mind where the full-back ensured his side got onto the front foot with several crunching tackles and forays into the attacking third.
Defensively, he was as brilliant, if not more. In the league, he averaged 2.2 tackles per game while that number was eclipsed just a touch in Europe, where he produced 2.5 tackles per game.
Thus, it wasn’t a surprise when quite a few people labelled the Scottish international as the premier left-back in the world, which incidentally, was a title accorded to Marcelo a couple of years back.
And, it seems the top brass handed the Brazilian a place in the eleven out of nostalgia. After all, had it been based on performances last season, not a single left-back in the world, let alone Marcelo, could hold a candle to Robertson’s displays.
