Thomas Muller believes Liverpool 's Mohamed Salah deserved to be named in the recently announced FIFA FIFPro World XI.
The Egyptian superstar has been hailed as one of the greatest players in world football over recent months but found himself controversially snubbed for the player-voted World XI in favour of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Salah netted 31 goals in all competitions for Liverpool last season and has already struck 25 more in a mere 30 outings this campaign.
However, despite his recent exploits, the forward found himself behind the likes of Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski and Ronaldo in the pecking order.
The decision to omit Salah from the XI has drawn heavy criticism over the past month and Bayern Munich striker Muller is in agreement, labelling his snub as "disappointing".
“It’s always difficult to choose fairly these teams because everyone has slightly different views,” Muller told MBC Masr TV, via Filgoal.
"Mohamed Salah is in great form at the moment and is appreciated by everyone.
"It's disappointing that he was not chosen in the World XI, and this may be due to the Euros being played last summer.
Should Mohamed Salah have been included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI ? Have your say in the comments!
"The Euros are of great importance and of course you will find players from Italy [the champions] in the formation.
“It’s a combination of individual and collective success. Usually 20 players can be selected and only four or five of them are worthy. But Salah deserved to be in the formation."
Not only did the Liverpool star fail to make the World XI, he was bizarrely overlooked for the initial 23-man shortlist for the side.
The line-up has been heavily questioned since it was announced at the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony in Zurich on January 17.
Salah was one of a select few shining lights in an underwhelming season for Liverpool last time out as they failed to retain their Premier League crown.
The Reds eventually secured a top four finish and Champions League qualification on the final day of the Premier League season, ending the campaign in third place, behind Manchester City and Manchester United.
Despite Salah's selection snub, the forward finished third in the Best FIFA Men’s Player of the Year awards and seventh in the voting for the prestigious Ballon d'Or.
The World XI was voted for by 19,000 professional men's footballers from across every across continent.
"FIFPRO and FIFA asked professional footballers worldwide to vote for the World 11," the organisation explained.
"We requested them to pick the three players who in their opinion where the most outstanding players during the 2020/2021 season in the following lines: goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards."
The inclusion of both Messi and Ronaldo in this year's team created history, with the pair becoming the first players to ever make the FIFA’s FIFPro Men’s World XI for 15 successive years.
FIFAPRO Men's World11: Gianluigi Donnarumma, David Alaba, Ruben Dias, Leonardo Bonucci, Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Kevin De Bruyne, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandoski, Lionel Messi.
