FIFPRO World XI named - and fans can't believe elite Prem duo have been snubbed

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and Chelsea sensation Cole Palmer were amongst the names to be snubbed after the FIFPRO World XI was released on Monday.

Salah has defied concerns over his advancing years to score 13 Premier League goals this season and create eight assists. The 32-year-old also reached double figures in both categories in the 2023-24 season (18 goals, 10 assists).

Palmer was one of the breakout players in Europe after bagging 22 goals for the Blues in his first season at Stamford Bridge and the playmaker, 22, won the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

But in a shock decision, Salah and Palmer were both omitted from the final 11 players, with five of them coming from the Premier League.

Four Manchester City players made the cut overall after claiming their fourth title in a row. Goalkeeper Ederson in between the sticks, Kevin de Bruyne and Rodri in midfield, and goal machine Erling Haaland spearheading the front three.

There was no place for PFA Player of the Year Phil Foden, despite scoring 22 goals in the Premier League last season.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was the only other Premier League representative named amongst the all-star XI.

The rest of the six spaces in the lineup were unsurprisingly dominated by La Liga champions and Champions League winners Real Madrid.

Dani Carvajal and Antonio Rudiger joined Van Dijk in a three-man backline, with the now-retired Toni Kroos and Jude Bellingham made up a star-studded midfield four with De Bruyne and Rodri.

And up front, Vinicius Junior earned his place alongside Haaland while Kylian Mbappe, who joined Madrid from PSG in the summer, made up the final spot.

Football fans took to social media to register their disapproval with the selection choices, clearly feeling that Salah and Palmer were hard done by.

One X user, '@LFCGeezy', wrote: "Mbappe isnt even a RW [right winger] they are doing everything to disrespect Salah."

Another '@sam_mulandi' said: "Without C. Palmer, this is a fake list."

One fan @CFC_Xfactor even invited FIFA to replace Mbappe with Palmer: "Kindly remove mbappe from there and replace him with Palmer. What in the hell of sentimentalism is this?"