12 Prem stars make shortlist for FIFA Team of the Year
A 55-man shortlist for a FIFA Team of the Year has 12 Premier League-based players included on it.
Around 25,000 professional footballers from 75 different countries will decide the make-up of the FIFA FIFPro World11 2017 – but English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish players have been delivered a massive snub.
Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane did make the cut, however, having enjoyed a stellar 2017, in which he has scored 34 times in all competitions for club and country. Welshman Gareth Bale, while not as his free-flowing best over the past 12 months, nonetheless enjoyed a trophy-laden year having collected the Champions League and LaLiga with Real Madrid.
Despite the lack of British talent on the list, a total of 12 Premier League players made the cut, including six Manchester United players.
David de Gea, Antonio Valencia, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku are the United men included, alongside Chelsea trio David Luiz, N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard, Liverpool play-maker Philippe Coutino and Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil.
No players from Manchester City make the cut, however.
The final 11 will be announced at a ceremony in London on October 23.