Liverpool quartet shortlisted for FIFA FIFPro World XI after 25,000 players vote

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Four Liverpool players have been named on the shortlist of stars competing for a place in the FIFA FIFPro World XI.

The Reds might have expected to be better represented after building a reputation as one of the world’s deadliest attacking sides on route to last season’s Champions League final.

Both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane own places among the top 55 as voted by 25,000 professional players across 65 different countries.

There was no place for fellow frontman Roberto Firmino, despite his career-high season of 27 goals across all competitions for the Reds.

Centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Dejan Lovren were also popular enough to each earn a place in the top 20 defenders after their success across 2017/2018.

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Salah’s inclusion as no surprise on the back of his remarkable debut season for Liverpool, in which he scored 44 goals across all competitions.

The former Roma man became one of world football’s most intriguing storylines as he found the net 32 times to win the Premier League Golden Boot and break the record for most goals in a 38-game season.

Mane meanwhile built on his outstanding maiden campaign with the Reds to register his most productive season with 20 goals over all fronts for Liverpool.

The inclusion of Van Dijk follows his magnificent impact on Liverpool’s defensive improvement since he joined the club in January for a world record fee for a defender at £75million.

He and Lovren built a formidable partnership over the second half of last season on the way towards a top-four finish in the league and a European showdown with Real Madrid in Kiev.

Here is a full run down of FIFPro’s 55 most voted players:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus/PSG, Italy) Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea/Real Madrid, Belgium), David De Gea (Man Utd, Spain), Keylor Navas (Real Madrid, Costa Rica), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona, Germany).

Defenders: Jordi Alba (Barcelona, Spain), Dani Alves (PSG, Brazil), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid, Spain), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus, Italy), Virgil van Dijk (Southampton/Liverpool, Netherlands), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid, Uruguay), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich, Germany), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich, Germany), Dejan Lovren (Liverpool, Croatia), Marcelo (Real Madrid, Brazil), Yerry Mina (Barcelona/Everton, Colombia), Benjamin Pavard (France, Stuttgart), Gerard Pique (Barcelona, Spain), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid, Spain), Thiago Silva (PSG, Brazil), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham, England), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona, France), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid, France), Sime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid/Inter, Croatia), Kyle Walker (Man City, England).

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona, Spain), Casemiro (Real Madrid, Brazil), Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool/Barcelona, Brazil), Kevin De Bruyne (Man City, Belgium), Eden Hazard (Chelsea, Belgium), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/Vissel Kobe, Spain), Isco (Real Madrid, Spain), N’Golo Kante (Chelsea, France), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, Germany), Nemanja Matic (Man Utd, Serbia), Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia), Paul Pogba (Man Utd, France), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona, Croatia), David Silva (Man City, Spain), Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich/Barcelona, Chile).

Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France), Edinson Cavani (PSG, Uruguay), Paulo Dybala (Juventus, Argentina), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid, France), Harry Kane (Tottenham, England),Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, Poland), Romelu Lukaku (Man Utd, Belgium), Mario Mandzukic (Juventus, Croatia), Sadio Mane (Liverpool, Senegal), Kylian Mbappe (PSG, France), Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina), Neymar (PSG, Brazil), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Juventus, Portugal), Mohammed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt), Luis Suarez (Barcelona, Uruguay).

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