The high-profile trio have failed to make the team of the year set to be revealed at The Best FIFA Football Awards gala in Zurich on Monday night
EXCLUSIVE
Paul Pogba, Neymar and Gianluigi Buffon are all absent from the 2016 FIFA FIFPro World 11, Goal can confirm.
Manchester United star Pogba became the most expensive footballer in history last summer following his €100 million transfer from Juventus, but Goal’s sources in Switzerland have learned that he missed out on the XI by just two votes.
Pogba’s ex-Juve team-mate Buffon enjoyed a brilliant 2016 but also just failed to make the XI as he was voted the second-best goalkeeper on the planet by his peers.
Neymar won a domestic double with Barcelona and claimed a gold medal at the Olympic Games with Brazil, but three other forwards finished above him in the poll.
The 2016 FIFA FIFPro World 11 will be revealed in full at The Best FIFA Football Awards in Zurich on Monday evening – the ceremony at which Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to be named FIFA World Player of the Year.
FIFPro is the worldwide representative organisation for all professional footballers. A total of 26,516 players from 69 countries voted for the FIFA FIFPro 11 – just 14 short of last year’s record amount of 26,530 votes.
Each professional is entitled a vote through FIFPro’s global network of player associations and the FIFA FIFPro 11 has been chosen annually since 2005. The final line-up is arranged in a 4-3-3 formation.
Last year’s team was: Manuel Neuer; Dani Alves, Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva, Marcelo; Paul Pogba, Luka Modric, Andres Iniesta; Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar.
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