The FIFPRO World 11 has been announced, and apparently, Bayern Munich players were all on vacation during the voting period. There is simply no other explanation.
Not a single Bayern player made the final XI, despite the club having one of the strongest teams in Europe. Harry Kane — the Ballon d’Or winner, who continues to score goals at a ridiculous rate—finished fifth among forwards with 27.6% of the vote. Michael Olise was sixth with 15.6%. Neither made the cut.
The funniest part is that this award is voted on by professional footballers. More than 26,000 players from approximately 75 countries get to nominate the three best players in each position. No journalists, no coaches, and no fans to blame for questionable voting. These are the people who actually share a pitch with these players.
Of course, the likes of Mbappé, Haaland, Messi, and Yamal are deserving of recognition. Nobody is arguing otherwise. But with Kane finishing fifth, Olise sixth, and Dayot Upamecano eighth, how did Bayern get completely shut out of the XI?
Upamecano finished eighth among defenders. Eighth! Apparently, being one of the best center-backs in the world, anchoring one of Europe’s most dominant defenses, and consistently delivering at the highest level is not quite enough to get you noticed.
Maybe Bayern should consider sending out a memo before next year’s voting. Apparently, the rest of the footballing world needs a reminder that they exist.
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