A 55-man list of nominees for the 2017 FIFPro World 11 was released on Wednesday, September 20 with no African player making the cut.
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These 5 African players should have made the FIFPro nomination list
There was general shock after the announcement of the 55 man list
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Pulse Sports highlights five players who deserved to be on the list but have been snubbed.
1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Borussia Dortmund)
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It’s puzzling that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did not make the nominees’ list for the 2017 FIFPro World 11.
Last season, the Gabon international scored 31 goals in 32 Bundesliga games for Borussia Dortmund beating Robert Lewandowski to win the league’s, Golden Boot.
This season already, he has five league goals in five Bundesliga games.
Last season he won the German Cup with Dortmund who beat Bayern Munich on their way to the final.
On an individual level, he clearly edges the likes Karim Benzema, Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimović who all made the list.
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2. Mohamed Salah (Egypt and Roma/Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah has been one of the most exciting forwards in world football so far in 2017. Last season he was Roma’s best player, scoring 15 league goals and leading them to an impressive second place with 87 points, their highest so far in history even more than 75 they got when they last won the Serie A title in 2001.
He also scored three goals in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) helping Egypt to reach the final where they lost to champions Cameroon.
He had a far better season than Gareth Bale who is in the list.
3. Eric Bailly (Cote d'Ivoire/Manchester United)
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Eric Bailly made the big move from Villarreal CF to Manchester United in the summer of 2016 and overcame adaptation problems to have a very solid 2016/2017 season for the Red Devils.
Baily was a major part of the Manchester United defence that finished the season with 17 clean sheets in the Premier, the highest in the 2016/2017 season.
He finished his debut season at Manchester United with the League Cup and Europa League.
With the likes of Samuel Umtiti, Jérôme Boateng- who had an injury-ravaged season, Javier Mascherano and Pepe, it’s puzzling why Eric Bailly has not been included in the list.
4. Naby Keïta (Guinea and RB Leipzig)
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Naby Keïta has had a phenomenal year with Bundesliga surprise package RB Leipzig. The Guinean joined the just promoted Bundesliga side in June 2016 and both the player and club went on to lit up the football world with a few stuns.
With Keita in midfield, RB Leipzig went on an undefeated thirteen-match streak in the Bundesliga, breaking a record for the longest undefeated streak of a promoted team to the Bundesliga. They went on to finish second place (Champions League qualification) behind only Bayern Munich and above the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg and the other traditional Bundesliga powerhouse.
Keita was so impressive for RB Leipzig that he became a subject of a huge money interest from Liverpool before the English giants agreed on a deal to sign him in July 2018 after triggering his £48 million release clause.
Keita would have sure made the list ahead of the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Nemanja Matić and Mesut Özil.
5 Victor Moses (Nigeria and Chelsea)
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Only a few will make a case for Victor Moses but is only because of his unheralded exploits for Chelsea last season.
With Moses playing as a wing-back, Chelsea ran away with the Premier League title in a season that saw them equal the League records for consecutive wins in a single season (13) and home and away wins against different sides (12).
Chelsea also broke the record for number of wins in a season (30) and also recorded the second-highest points tally in Premier League history (93).
Moses made 22 consecutive League starts from September 2016 to April 2017. 28 league starts and 33 league appearances in total that season.
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He might not have had the defensive abilities of a Dani Carvajal or the force of Antonio Valencia but the balance and discipline he displayed have been criminally underrated.
Moses deserves to be on the 2017 FIFPro World 11 even more than the likes of Phillipp Lahm and Javier Mascherano.
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