Gini Wijnaldum believes four of his team-mates deserved to be named in the FIFA FIFPro World XI as he hit out at this year’s selection.
The team raised a few eyebrows upon release after there were a number of surprise inclusions.
Those include Marcelo and Sergio Ramos, two figures who are usually regulars voted for by thousands of professional players from around the world.
Real Madrid limped to a third-placed finish in La Liga last season after being knocked out of the Champions League in the last 16 by Ajax.
Gini Wijnaldum feels particularly aggrieved that Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold were overlooked, while also naming two other team-mates who in his opinion should have been included.
“In my opinion both Robbo and Trent should have been in there,” Wijnaldum told The Athletic.
“Different players have their own opinions. I think for some they probably just wrote down what they regard as their best XI rather than who the best XI was over the course of the year which is different.”
The Dutchman then criticised the voting procedure, claiming the lack of clarity may be the reason a host of Liverpool stars missed out.
“Maybe the set-up needs to change because they give you a piece of paper and you put down your best XI. It doesn’t really say ‘put down your best XI from this season’,” Wijnaldum added.
“For example, Ronaldo and Messi will always be there even if they haven’t had a great season. Maybe it needs to change. There are players who should be there.
“For me, Robbo and Trent should definitely have been in there. I think Sadio and Mo should have been in there too.”
Liverpool won last season’s Champions League after finishing just one point behind Manchester City in the Premier League.
While that doesn’t necessarily mean their individual players are automatically in line for accolades, it surely is telling on their performances.
Samuel Eto’o believes that Salah and Mane were worthy of the The Best FIFA Men’s Player award.
The former Barcelona and Chelsea striker stormed off, albeit while smiling, during an interview at the ceremony in Milan after making his feelings known.
He said: “The best one for me is Mohamed Salah [and] Sadio Mane, but they’re not here.”