Welcome to TalkBarca. Fifa player of the year 2019 ceremony held earlier this week, and awarded players for their individual brilliance. At the end of the ceremony, Fifa named their FIFPro Team Of The Year. The individual awards were spot on and were awarded to the players who really deserved. However, FIFPro Team of the year selection is very controversial.
There are a lot of players in the FIFPro Team Of The Year who clearly don’t deserve to be in the World XI. Decisions like these not only take away the credit from the players who really deserve it but also hinder their potential. It’s simple, when you are not awarded for your efforts, you lose faith and don’t perform at your best. So, Fifa should be more just and rational in their selection.
The Official Fifa FIFPro Team Of The Year:
As usual, eleven players made their place in Fifa Team Of The Year which are as following:
Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker.
Defenders: Matthijs de Ligt, Virgil van Dijk, Marcelo, and Sergio Ramos.
Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong, Eden Hazard, and Luka Modric.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, and Lionel Messi.
Players Who Really Deserved The Honor:
Alisson Becker, De Ligt and Van Dijk, Frankie De Jong, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, and Lionel Messi are the players who had every right to be in the Team of the Year. You simply cannot rule out any one of these players because that’s how good they were last season. Each and every one of these names had every right to be in the Team Of The Year.
Alisson and Van Dijk:
All of these are the players who delivered astonishing performances throughout the campaign at different levels. Alisson was superb with both Liverpool and Brazil and he was also awarded the Goal Keeper Of The Year Award. Meanwhile, Van Dijk was the binding force behind the historical Champions League Winning Liverpool.
De Jong and De Ligt:
Frankie De Jong and De Ligt dragged their team, Ajax, into the Semi-Final of the Champions League against all odds. In doing so, they defeated Real Madrid and Juventus (Two European Giants) in the knockout stages. Moreover, they helped Ajax lift the Everdinse League Title and Featured in the Final of Nations League Cup alongside Van Dijk.
Lionel Messi:
Lionel Messi was not only the top scorer of LaLiga and Champions League but also throughout the Europe. He won the Golden boot award. On the other side, he also grabbed a total of 13 assists which is an astonishing achievement as well. He won the LaLiga, featured in the Semi-Final of Champions League, and also lead his team into the Copa Del Ray Final.
Kylian Mbappe:
Kylian Mbappe was the highest goal scorer in League 1 and 2nd highest goal scorer in Europe. He was just 3 goals behind the GOAT, Lionel Messi. He won the league title with PSG and took the responsibility of the main man in the attack in absence of Neyman.
Cristiano Ronaldo:
Cristiano Ronaldo was the only player for Juventus who fought like a warrior in the Champions League. He made a breathtaking comeback with a hattrick against Athletico Madrid to take his team into the quarter-finals only to get knocked out by Ajax. Football is a collective game and you cannot do everything on your own. On the other side, Ronaldo took his revenge against De Jong and De Ligt in the Nations League Final and Lifted the International Trophy.
Controversial Players Who Did Not Deserve
We have already talked about the players who deserved to be in the Fifa Player of the Year. Now, let’s talk about the controversial players who were in the FIFPro Team of the year but did not deserve it. I am sure, you would have already guessed the players. Eden Hazard, Modric, Marcelo, and Ramos are the players who do not deserve to be in the Best XI.
As you may have already noticed, all of these 4 players play for Real Madrid who is known for corruption in different awards. It’s not that I am against Real Madrid or anything like that. Yes, they are our arch-rivals, but I don’t hate them at all. In fact, if Barcelona gets knocked out in a competition, I want Real Madrid to win it. Now, some fans would hit me on this one but let me explain my thinking.
Well, the point is Real Madrid are our bitter rivals. Yes, we try to be better than them in all the aspects which we are currently. However, I never degrade Real. It’s simple, your identity is also associated with your rivals. Is it practical to have a weak rival?
People would laugh at you for having a weak and puny rival. The strength and greatness of our rivals display our own strength indirectly. Most importantly, having strong rival means that you continuously strive to get better. So, instead of all the negative energy, I believe in a healthy rivalry.
I know we are drifting away from our topic, so, let’s just come back to the point. Last season, Real Madrid was nowhere near their best. In fact, it was one of their worst seasons in God know how many years. They didn’t win a single trophy in the 2018/19 campaign. Most importantly, they didn’t even feel like a threat. They sacked 2 managers in a desperate attempt to get some results. Still, 4 of Real Madrid players are in the Team of the Year. How does this make any sense?
Marcelo:
Barcelona missed almost half of the games in the previous season. It wasn’t because he was out injured. He was so poor that the manager had to drop Marcelo and play Sergio Reguilón in place. You can easily say that Marcelo was the worst player for Real Madrid in 2018/19 campaign. If that’s the case, how can he be a part of the Fifa Team Of The Year?
Now, the question is who deserved a place at the Left Back Slot and was robbed off his chance? Only 2 players come into my mind and these are Jordi Alba and Robertson. I am not gonna be biased here, Robertson had a better claim the Jordi Alba. Yes, Alba was better throughout the season, but that crucial mistake against Liverpool defeat puts him behind Robertson.
Sergio Ramos:
Personally, I think that Ramos is one of the best defenders in the world if not the best. However, this does not mean that he deserves a place in the Fifa Team Of The Year. Each and every player in the World XI should be on merit. As we have discussed earlier, Madrid had a really poor season. Ramos was one of their better players but still, he didn’t do anything significant to earn a place in Team Of The Year. In fact, he was one of the indirect reasons behind the horrific loss against Ajax.
Some of you may ask me how is that possible, he didn’t even play the game. My answer is, “that’s the whole point”! He wasn’t available for the Champions League clash because of a suspension. His absence from the team was one of the major reasons behind the defeat. Such an experienced player should know how to keep his composure and not accumulate cards before a deciding game.
So, who should have been at the Right Back slot instead of Ramons? Kayle Walker and Trent Alexander Arnold are two honorable nominees who had a better claim than Ramos. I can’t decide between these 2 because both of them were amazing and achieved a lot in the 2018/19 campaign. Even the Fifa had to go ahead with another Center Back, it would have been Gerard Pique.
Luka Modric
Let’s turn our cannons towards the last year’s Balon Dor winner Luka Modric. First of all, I don’t understand how this guy won the Balon Dor. For me, he should not have been in the top 3. Now, he is in the Fifa Team Of The Year based on a very poor season. He simply does not deserves to be in the team. I am not going to talk about him simply because if they can award him the Ballon Dor, they can do anything.
The real candidate who was deprived of his chances for this spot is Bernardo Silva. I am sure every football fan would agree with me on this point. Silva has been the driving force behind Man City and Portugal. He even had a greater impact than Ronaldo in the Portugal National team and also won the Premier League title with Man City.
Eden Hazard:
This one is a little tough. Hazard had an amazing season with Chelsea. He not only won the Europa League but also finished 3rd in the league with Chelsea. However, there are a lot of players who had far better achievements and statistics to take his place. How can you put Hazard in the Fifa Team Of The Year when players like Mane, Salah, Firminio, Sterling, Robertson, etc. are not there?
Verdict:
This is it from the Fifa FIFPro Team Of The Year and the controversial selection of players in it. What are your thoughts on this team? Do you think Fifa Deprived worthy payers of their chances? Who do you think is worthy and who isn’t to be in the Team Of The Year? Let us know in the comments section. Until next time, Visca El Barca!
