Gareth Bale Tacked On To Absurd FIFA ‘World XI’ Longlist – Comedy Gold!

Ollie Irish

25th, November 2010

18 Comments

By Ollie Irish

FIFPro (the global footballers’ union) and FIFA today announced the 55 players shortlisted for the FIFA-FIPro World XI 2010.  Rather than choose the best 55 players, on form this year, it appears they have chosen the most famous players, the ones with the biggest names, the ones with the biggest marketing clout, the ones who play for the biggest clubs.

Six weeks ago, I doubt young Gareth Bale would have been anywhere near this list, but right now he’s The Most Hyped Player On The Planet, so of course he has to be in there, to add even more heat and lustre to an already star-studded list. Afterthought, much?

The 55 players, broken down by position:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Petr Cech (Chelsea), Julio Cesar (Inter), Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United)

Defenders: Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Gareth Bale (Tottenham), Michel Bastos (Olympique Lyonnais), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Lucio (Inter), Maicon (Inter), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan), Pepe (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Walter Samuel (Inter), John Terry (Chelsea), Thiago Silva (AC Milan), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Javier Zanetti (Inter)

Midfielders: Esteban Cambiasso (Inter), Michael Essien (Chelsea), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Kaka (Real Madrid), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Wesley Sneijder (Inter), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Xavi (Barcelona)

Forwards: Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United), Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Samuel Eto’o (Inter), Diego Forlán (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Diego Milito (Inter), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Ronaldinho (AC Milan), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), David Villa (Barcelona)

As you can see, it’s essentially a list of the 55 Most Famous Footballers In The World, many of whom happen to have had poor 2010s (Rio Ferdinand, Ronaldinho and Kaka, for example – I mean, WTF!!?). I guess Sepp Blatter was also pushing for the inclusion of David Beckham, Diego Maradona and Pele, but got overruled. Jaysus, he wept.

Based on form in 2010, here’s my own World XI:

Iker Casillas – Lifted the World Cup. Didn’t drop it either.

Maicon – Monstrous for Inter last season, and one of Brazil’s better players in the 2010 World Cup.

Lucio – See Maicon, above.

Carles Puyol – Gets better as he gets older, integral part of Spain’s World Cup-winning team.

Javier Zanetti – Had to have The Tractor in there somewhere. Inspirational for treble-winning Inter, shamefully ingored by Maradona for the World Cup.

Esteban Cambiasso – Same story as Zanetti; superb for Inter, ignored for Argentina WC squad by childish Maradona.

Wesley Sneijder – Another brilliant Inter performer, he also lived up to the hype in South Africa.

Xavi – Godlike genius.

Andres Iniesta – Almost as much of a genius as Xavi, and scored the winner in the World Cup final.

Lionel Messi – Didn’t have a standout World Cup, but don’t forget he was mesmerisingly wonderful for Barcelona last season. And we have such high expectations of him.

Didier Drogba – Cruelly injured just before the World Cup but bravely played on in a special cast. Banged in 29 goals for Chelsea last season, and gets my vote above Forlan and Milito.

Let’s be having your World XIs for 2010…

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18 Comments

  1. Cook says:

    MARCELO!?!?! Lucas Leivamhas more talent in hismleft thumb then Marcelo. Berbatov aswell? Should of put Darren Bent or even Asamoah Gyan. Sounds like I’m a mackems fun hey? Wrong, I’m a devil. But the committee should justify as to why they included these guys. Its disappointing because it should be the best players, not the best paid players. FIFA disappointing again

  2. Chris says:

    Hate to break this to you man, but i think it’s got to be 4-3-3 by FIFA’s rules.

  3. Ollie Irish says:

    Shit the bed. Bloody FIFA!

  4. Russ says:

    You obviously weren’t watching Bale from the second half of last season onwards then – he is hyped at the moment because of his exposure in the Champions League, but he has played superbly all year.

    Agree with the point on some of the other famous names though.

  5. Cook says:

    Anyways, have some of this:

    Casillas
    Lahm-Puyol-Vidic-Bale
    Ozil-Sneijder-Xavi (C)
    Messi-Rooney-Ronaldo

    Subs: Cesar, Ramos, Pique, Schweinsteiger, Fabregas, Lampard, Forlan,

  6. Some of the decisions in there are ridiculous, Rio Ferdinand?!?

    Diego Forlan would be upfront for me, a very good 2009-2010 season for At. Madrid, an excellant World Cup, a good start to this season for for Atletico. Consistantly good as well as a goal every other game(ish).

    Not to be harsh on players like Zanetti who should have went to the World Cup but in a World Cup year, the players who didn’t get to play or didn’t give a decent account of themselves can’t be put in that team, it is the ‘biggest’ stage in World football and players who perform on it as well as for their club truly are the best players.

    Surprised they didn’t throw Andy Carroll in there with Bale, haha.

  7. Ollie Irish says:

    @ Leazes – I take your point about the World Cup, but I still value 40 games MUCH higher than four or five WC games. Just me.

  8. You’re right about the domestic season being far more important but having a great 2010 and a solid World Cup showing should put those players at the top of the pile?

    I’m just reading the list in more detail… Berbatov?

  9. Andrew Thompson says:

    Shock you let Ronaldo out of your 11, was immense last season

  10. Lloyd says:

    wtf Berbatov really??

  11. Mr. Angry says:

    what a list of pure and utter shite!

  12. Mr. Angry says:

    i cant believe reina’s not in there!

    this is the world XI

    casillias

    maicon samuel puyol lahm

    mascherano

    gerrard sneijder

    messi torres ronaldo

    and what the fuck are ferdinand and berbatov doing there?

  13. Nick says:

    Casillas
    Maicon Puyol Lucio Lahm
    Sneijder Xavi Iniesta
    Messi Villa Ronaldo

  14. yeeeeeeeah says:

    Cook, you ever watched Marcelo play? He is one of the most technically gifted and skillful players I’ve ever seen. This year under Mourinho he has even learnt how to defend.

  15. megaman789 says:

    How can Cech and Van Der Sar make that when Reina has been much better than them last them.

    Ferdinand? Marcelo? Are they kidding themselves.

    Also How the hell was Berbatov even considered for the list?

    This list is pure shite every year.

  16. deckard says:

    ur an idiot ollie. first u pathetically leave cambiasso out of ur inter 5-a-side team (read: INTER’S BEST 5 PLAYERS) but now ur crawling right up his arse sticking him in ur world 11 as if to back track.

    btw, maicon was shit for most of last season it wasn’t till the business end that (for him fortunately as we took notice) he showed some of that monstrous form u talk about. and if u think he had a better wc than ur simply implying how terribly piss poor the rest of the brazil cast was cuz none of them samba boys came close to being decent(considering their potential).

  17. Danny says:

    Buffon hasn’t played any football for just under a year, yet he makes the list before Reina?

    Retarded.

  18. joel virgo says:

    gareth bale would get into any team, but you leave him out of yours?

    at your own expense muppet. he is top class and produces every game. why include maicon who this ‘useless’ bale somehow run rings around both home and away. ha ha

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