No Salah but Ronaldo features in FIFPRO XI nominees’ list

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah is one of the biggest names left out of the FIFPRO XI shortlist for 2022. 

Players’ performances between August 8, 2021, to December 18, 2022, were taken into account in the selection process, with the players with the most votes making the final 26-man shortlist. 

Still, Salah was not included in the 26-man shortlist despite finishing as the joint-top scorer in the 2021/2022 season with 23 goals in 35 games.

The Egypt international scored 27 goals for both club and country last year, with only Sadio Mane scoring more amongst African players in Europe’s top five leagues. 

Salah’s fellow golden boot winner in the Premier League last season, Son Heung-Min, was not included either. 

But the biggest omission was Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jnr despite his incredible performances last year. 

Vinicius recorded eight assists and scored 21 goals last year, including the winner in the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool. 

The 22-year-old won also won a LaLiga title, UEFA Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup in what was an incredible year for him. 

He was included in the Champions League team of the season and was named the best young player in the competition. 

Still, it was not enough to make the 26-man shortlist, with only five Real Madrid making the cut. However, surprisingly, Vinicius’ former teammate at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, was included despite an underwhelming year by his standards. 

Ronaldo, who started last year with Manchester United, struggled for most parts of last year for both club and national team. 

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored just three goals in 16 appearances for Manchester United this season before he unceremoniously left for Saudi Arabia Professional League in December. 

He also failed to score a single goal for Portugal at the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. The final XI will be revealed at the FIFA Best Awards on February 27 in Paris.