Who were the big omissions from Fifa 22's team of the year?
Who were the big omissions from Fifa 22's team of the year?
By Jonny Bray
One of the most anticipated events for fans of Fifa across the globe is the release of the game's Team of the Year.
What started as a promotion on a computer game has now become a genuine source of debate, as fans debate which of the stars of world football deserve to make it in.
We've even seen the Team of the Year feature reach Monday Night Football.
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have discussed the team in-depth, and it just goes to show how blurred the lines are between real life and computer games when it comes to football.
Football Manager stats have been used on Sky Sports. Even casual football fans know the stars of the Italian, French and Spanish leagues thanks to playing Ultimate Team.
And with the prestige of being included in the Team of the Year increasing all the time, we thought it was time to ask who the big omissions were from this season's 11.
Mohamed Salah
I can't think of many players more overrated than Kylian Mbappé.
Paris' number one pace merchant somehow managed to sneak his way into this side at the expense of the best player in the world, leaving Carragher, Neville and myself in a state of astonishment.
I feel like listing Salah's achievements this year would be almost disrespectful.
The standard of his performances are above childish debate, he's simply been the best player in the world for the past 12 months, and he easily deserved a spot in this team.
There are two key issues with the fan vote element of this team.
Firstly, it allows players with huge followings like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mbappé to get in on popularity rather than performance.
It also is slightly biased towards players fans love using on the game.
There are few players more popular in the game than the Frenchman, and I'm sure that is why Salah has been excluded.
Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema is playing the best football of his career at the moment.
17 goals in 21 appearances for Real Madrid this season isn't bad for a striker who was once criticised for not being lethal enough in front of goal by England icon Gary Lineker.
Benzema always felt like a case of bridesmaid, never the bride, while Cristiano Ronaldo was at Santiago Bernabéu. Still, since the Portuguese legend's departure, Benzema has made the spotlight his own.
But he wasn't rewarded for a great year by the fans of Fifa 22, who decided to stick with Lionel Messi despite the Argentine's relatively poor start to life at PSG.
Reece James
Despite being a slightly more controversial call than Benzema or Salah, few can deny that Reece James has had an incredible season at right-back for Chelsea.
He's gone from a future star to one of the first names on the team sheet in 2021, and he's beginning to show that he may be the best all-around full-back in the Premier League.
He was kept out of the squad by Achraf Hakimi, who, to be fair, had a fantastic year with Inter Milan before making a big-money move to PSG.
But I fail to see how any player can compete with the level of consistency we've seen from James this year.
He was vital in a defence that carried Chelsea to a Champions League win and was a focal point of the Blues side when they were at their absolute best.
For those reasons, he should have been in the XI.