10 notable omissions from The Best Men’s Player shortlist – and the stats to prove it

The nominees for FIFA’s The Best Awards are out, and as ever there are a few notable omissions from the lists, which include the top men’s and women’s coaches, along with the best male and female footballers on the planet. 

The shortlists were decided by FIFA legends, though now the voting will be done by fans, along with journalists, national team coaches and captains.

Certain players were left off The Best Men’s Player shortlist, however, but who?

Here’s who we think might have sneaked it as a nominee.

Samuel Umtiti

Key stat: Samuel Umtiti is the youngest ever France player to score in a World Cup semi-final at the age of 24 years, 7 months and 26 days.

The Barcelona centre-back has gone from strength to strength while in Catalunya, and last season it really came together for the 24-year-old both at club and international level, as his maturity and solidity at the back enabled Barca to another La Liga triumph and, of course, helped France win the World Cup.

Diego Godín

Key stat: No defender made more interceptions than Diego Godin at the World Cup, with 13.

The Atletico man had another stellar season with Atleti followed by one of, if not the, most impressive defensive performance at the World Cup with Uruguay. Unlucky not to have inspired Uruguay on further into the competition on his defensive guile alone.

Edinson Cavani

Key stat: Edinson Cavani scored the most goals in Ligue 1 last season with 28.

The former Partenopei forward had another strong season in the French capital, scoring 28 and assisting a further six as PSG won Ligue 1. He also scored three for Uruguay at the World Cup.

Ivan Rakitic

Key stat: 76.6% of Ivan Rakitic’s passes were successful in the opposition’s half at the World Cup.

The 30-year-old Croatian played a crucial part in his country’s heroic run to the final of the World Cup, where they were eventually humbled by France. The Barcelona man scored once and featured in all seven games of Croatia’s tournament, forming a formidable axis with Luka Modric, especially when supported by Marcelo Brozovic. He was also a key cog in Barcelona’s La Liga victory.

N’Golo Kante

Key stat: N’Golo Kante has won the World Cup, the FA Cup and the Premier League twice in three years.

Kante had another strong personal season to add to the catalogue. Although Chelsea were flimsy last term, he still played well and was an ever-present for Antonio Conte. However, his real moment to shine came at the World Cup, where his amazing distance absorption, intuition and technically-adept tackling helped Paul Pogba no end.

Leroy Sane

Key stat: Leroy Sane contributed to 25 goals in 32 Premier League games last season.

Sane enjoyed a true breakout season last year with City, scoring and assisting aplenty as he formed a deadly understanding with fellow wide-man Raheem Sterling and forwards Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero. Amazingly left out of the Germany squad for the World Cup.

Roberto Firmino

Key stat: Roberto Firmino scored 15 goals in the league last term.

Roberto Firmino does more than any other striker in the sense that he is a battering ram, the first line of Liverpool’s defence, a genuinely inventive player, an assister, and lastly, a finisher. This is borne out in the stats, though very much second-fiddle to Mohamed Salah, he still scored 15 but set up seven himself in the league.

Joshua Kimmich

Key stat: Joshua Kimmich enjoyed a very impressive 90.3% pass completion rate in all competitions last term.

The heir-apparent to Lahm’s throne, Kimmich is an exceptional player for both Germany and Bayern Munich, creating scoring chances and defending solidly. Soon he will be on The Best list.

Marcelo

Key stat: Marcelo scored three and set up four goals in 11 Champions League games.

Like his club generally, Marcelo wasn’t great in the league last year. But, he was fairly immense in Europe, with his creative and goal-affecting output especially impressive.

Neymar

Key stat: Neymar scored 19 goals in 20 league games for PSG last season.

Whatever way you spin it, Neymar is a very good player even if he’s ultimately very unlikable. He was scoring goals for fun in Ligue 1 before his foot injury, and he played pretty well considering said injury at the World Cup. It’s true things didn’t quite run for him last year, however, so it is perhaps understandable that he was left off the list. But still, he’s obviously among the best five players in the world.

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