Barca, Madrid dominate FIFPro XI shortlist

Brazilian starlet Neymar, Arsenal striker Robin van Persie and Napoli’s Edinson Cavani are amongst 14 new faces to make their debut as nominees for the FIFPro World XI award which will be announced on January 9.

The 55-man FIFA shortlist for 2011 is dominated by players from Spain’s Primera Division, which boasts usual suspects Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo amongst the league’s 22 nominees. The Premier League has 13 players in the running, including former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

Barcelona have 11 players in the list and Madrid 10.

Italy’s Serie A contributes nine players to the list, four from Germany’s Bundesliga and one each from Russia’s Premier League and Brazil’s Campeonato.

Just like last year, Spaniards lead the way with 12 on the shortlist, Brazil is second with eight and there are five Englishmen – Ashley Cole, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney – in the running.

The 14 debutants deemed to have emerged over the past year are: Sergio Aguero, Sergio Busquets, Edinson Cavani, Radamel Falcao, Mario Gomez, Vincent Kompany, David Luiz, Nani, Manuel Neuer, Neymar, Van Persie, David Silva, Luis Suarez and Victor Valdes.

Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, Manchester City’s Yaya Toure and Samuel Eto’o of Anzhi Makhachkala are the only Africans on the list.

The nominees were voted on by the 50,000 professional footballers belonging to the players’ unions across the world that form FIFPro. The final XI will be announced at the FIFA Ballon d’Or in Zurich on January 9, 2012.