FIFA 18: 5 forwards who should have been selected instead of Cristiano Ronaldo in TOTY

FIFA 18 has brought much excitement with it to the world of gaming, just as the franchise itself seems to do so successfully every year. This year, Ultimate Team has been on a roll just as much and FUT fans have been busy fighting it out for the top prize on that front. One of the most highly anticipated areas of FIFA 18 however has to be the release of FIFA 18 Team of the Year (TOTY).

The nominees for TOTY included a host of talented players who contributed largely to their individual as well as their club's success and rightly found themselves included in the nomination list for the prestigious honour of being in the TOTY.

The team itself was to be decided by athletes, media and members of the EA Sports FIFA Community, who would together vote from the 55 available nominees and bring out a seemingly unbeatable group of 11 players.

They did just that, and the result was quite astounding. With some truly special names on the list, it's hard to argue with the decisions. Except one maybe. Despite having a great first half of 2017, Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't kicked off this season. Here's a list of forwards who perhaps should have replaced the Portuguese in the team:

#5 Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard was instrumental in Chelsea's Premier League triumph in 2017 and further proved crucial to his side's Champions League group stage performance this season. The Belgian has been integral to the plans of Antonio Conte and has provided assists and goals for the Blues.

Hazard scored 16 goals in the Premier League last season from the wing position and teased defences to set up other forwards in the team. His efforts have earned him high praise and he could have easily taken the spot that Ronaldo currently owns on the TOTY.

#4 Edinson Cavani

Cavani was the Ligue 1 top scorer last season

The mercurial Edinson Cavani was also one of the nominees for the forwards in TOTY and it's hard to argue why. The Uruguayan was the top scorer in the Ligue 1 last season with 35 goals, plenty of them coming in 2017. He has continued his good form even with the arrivals of Mbappe and Neymar, and is currently the top scorer again with 19 Ligue 1 goals.

His contributions in the Champions League have been immense too, and he continues to show his class as we speak. His exclusion from the team has left many scratching their heads and wondering how Ronaldo got ahead of the freely-scoring South American.

#3 Philippe Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho has been one of the transfer stories of the season following his incredible £142m move from Liverpool to Barcelona. The Brazilian has been a transfer target for a while and yet again, it's easy to see why.

Coutinho played slightly deeper at Liverpool and despite that, scored 13 times for the Reds in the Premier League and provided 12 more this season, 5 of which came in the Champions League.

He would have been great on the left side of the TOTY but fell short and isn't in the team at all. Ronaldo may have won trophies with Real Madrid in 2017, but he probably doesn't have the creativity of this little magician.

#2 Luis Suarez

Suarez has been banging in goals at Barcelona

It's hard to keep Luis Suarez out of the game. The Barcelona striker has found life in Catalonia especially pleasing and he's been wonderful to watch. Though his Barcelona teammate Messi may have been top scorer last season, Suarez himself scored a staggering 29 goals for his team in La Liga and has been vital to the team again this season.

His superstar status alone would have made him a worthy candidate for a place in TOTY but he misses out this time around due to Ronaldo's inclusion. What amazes many about Suarez is his consistency where he seems to be the man the team can depend on. His conversion rate is quite extraordinary and FUT fans would have been disappointed to see him omitted from the team.

#1 Neymar Jr

Neymar moved to PSG in a record transfer

Neymar was certainly the talk of the town in 2017 following his record-breaking transfer to PSG from Barcelona. His performances at the French club since then had been sensational too, with 11 goals in Ligue 1 and 6 in the Champions League this season.

But his form at Barcelona last season was noteworthy too, and it's safe to say that for a player like him, not being on TOTY was a definite travesty. Many expected it to be a given but as we can see, Ronaldo nicked it ahead of him. A shocking exclusion, you can be sure that Neymar fans will be quite unhappy that the Brazilian was overlooked in this particular line-up.

Edited by Soumo Ghosh