Izuchukwu Okosi
The shortlist for the 2021 FIFA FIFPRO World XI was announced on Tuesday with Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah the biggest name conspicuously missing from the list despite his red-hot form for the Reds.
The nomination is made up of 23 players making waves in European club football across all departments from goal, defence, midfield and attack with a total of 10 players from the English Premier League making the cut.
Liverpool are represented by the duo of Trent Alexander-Arnold and goalkeeper Allison Baker while European Champions, Chelsea, are the most represented Premier League side on the list with four players, goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Romelu Lukaku.
Other usual suspects on the list are PSG trio, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Karim Benzema of Real Madrid, Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund’s sensation, Erling Haaland.
The award, which sees professional footballers choose amongst their colleagues who makes the World XI, was reduced to 23 players from 55 for the first time in 17 years.
The World XI will be announced during the Best FIFA Football Awards slated for January.
Full Shortlist of players;
Goalkeepers: Alisson Becker (Liverpool), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)
Defenders: David Alaba (Real Madrid), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Dani Alves (Sao Paulo/Barcelona), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Ruben Dias (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Jorginho (Chelsea), N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
The award, which sees professional footballers choose amongst their colleagues who makes the World XI, was reduced to 23 players from 55 for the first time in 17 years.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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