World XI squad revealed: Mohamed Salah left out in FIFPro’s 23-man squad of 2021’s best footballers

The 23-man shortlist for the FIFPro World XI has been announced, and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is the most high-profile absentee from FIFA’s star-studded World XI shortlist.

Salah finished seventh in the voting for the Ballon d’Or, and is the highest-ranked player on that list not to make the cut.

Out of the 23-man squad, which also includes three goalkeepers, six defenders, and six midfielders, 10 of those listed currently play in the Premier League.

Chelsea’s four listed players are made up of Edouard Mendy, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, and Romelu Lukaku, while Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City all have two players apiece in the squad.

Arch-rivals, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, also made the list. The two superstars have 14 World XI awards and will be aiming for a 15th when next month’s team is revealed.

This year’s FIFPro shortlist was brought down from 55 players to 23, in order to adjust it to a tournament squad, with the final XI due to be announced on December 17.

“FIFPRO and FIFA asked professional footballers worldwide to vote for the World 11,” the organisation explained.

“We requested them to pick the three players who in their opinion where the most outstanding players during the 2020/2021 season in the following lines: goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards.”

WORLD XI: SEE FULL 23-MAN SQUAD BELOW.

Goalkeepers:

Alisson Becker (Brazil/Liverpool FC)

Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy/AC Milan/Paris Saint-Germain)

Édouard Mendy (Senegal/Chelsea FC)

Defenders:

David Alaba (Austria/FC Bayern München/Real Madrid CF)

Jordi Alba (Spain/FC Barcelona)

Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool FC)

Dani Alves (Brazil/São Paulo FC/FC Barcelona)

Leonardo Bonucci (Italy/Juventus FC)

Rúben Dias (Portugal/Manchester City FC)

Midfielders:

Sergio Busquets (Spain/FC Barcelona)

Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City FC)

Bruno Fernandes (Portugal/Manchester United FC)

Frenkie de Jong (Netherlands/FC Barcelona)

Jorginho (Italy/Chelsea FC)

N’Golo Kante (France/Chelsea FC)

Forwards:

Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid CF)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus FC/Manchester United FC)

Erling Haaland (Norway/ BV Borussia 09 Dortmund)

Robert Lewandowski (Poland/FC Bayern München)

Romelu Lukaku (Belgium/FC Internazionale Milano/Chelsea FC)

Kylian Mbappé (France/Paris Saint-Germain)

Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain)

Neymar (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain)