On the 7^th January in Zurich the footballing world saw Lionel Messi scoop his record 4^th Ballon D’or trophy in a row. There were some disgruntled murmurs from camp Ronaldo and a few tumbleweeds blew out from camp Iniesta. Indeed the decision to bestow the title of best footballer in the world on the Argentinean magician is hardly controversial considering he smashed a record 91 goals past unsurprised keepers over the whole of 2012. Yeah he didn’t win La Liga or the Champions League, but if you need reminding, just watch the clip and remember why he’s so good.

Something from that evening that did catch my eye and grind my gears a little bit was announcement of the FIFA ‘World’ XI. It goes as follows:

Casillas (GK),

Dani Alves (LB), Pique (CB), Ramos (CB), Marcelo (RB)

Xavi (CM), Alonso (CM), Iniesta (CM)

Messi (LW), Falcao (CF), Ronaldo (RW)

A truly astonishing team of players, all of them are world class and deserve to contend for a place in the side. However, it almost seems like the rest of the world is being patted on the head in that way that a parent does to you whilst telling your sibling how amazing they are at everything…

Did Sepp and the gang just stop watching the Champions League once Barca suffocated under Chelsea’s game plan? Did the Blatter boys not notice the qualities shown by players from the German, English and Italian Leagues? It seems that FIFA were too busy having a vigorous tiki taka over the football happening on the Iberian Peninsula to notice.

I’ve selected my own World XI seeing as strangely FIFA never called to ask for my opinion, if you agree, disagree or think a player ought to be swapped then leave a comment with your changes! It would be interesting to see if people think I’m right or not…

Casillas (GK),

Lahm (LB), Chiellini (CB), Ramos (CB), A. Cole (RB)

Xavi (CM), Pirlo (CM), Iniesta (CM)

Messi (LW), Drogba (CF), Ronaldo (RW)

I’ve left six of the players from the original line up as I think they’re all accepted as being the greatest players in those roles from last year. The most altered section of my team is the defence (I’m skipping Casillas because he’s undoubtedly the world’s best keeper), I might sound controversial here but I feel that Pique, Alves and Marcelo are whilst top-class players, overrated. I obviously can’t say for sure but I feel the two Barca defenders would not be considered in the same light if they weren’t sat behind a midfield that NEVER loses the ball and endures a couple of frantic counter-attacks each game.

Lahm manages to pull the strings of a game from the full back position through his creativity going forward and has been superb all year, he’s quick, tough in the challenge  and defensively solid, eclipsing Alvez who is essentially a deep-sitting winger. Chiellini is included for his masterful season at the back for Juventus and the fact that he is simply a better centre-back than Pique. Ramos stays because I believe his development from full-back to ultra-mobile brick wall has made him the best defender in La Liga. How Cole missed out on a place baffles me *coughAntiEnglishFIFABiascough*; I feel that he was one of Englands finest at the Euros, but more impressive was the way he organised a very inexperienced defence in the Champions League final against one of the world’s finest attacking forces, this warrants a place in my world XI.

Xavi and Iniesta, the darlings of the tiki-totalitarians, are easy choices for a midfield, their quality is un-questionable. Pirlo’s exclusion from the World XI however, was absurd. I felt that the astonishing way that the surgeon-like midfielder dissected teams from his beautifully weighted and incisive passes, wrapped games around his little finger, and when he made THAT penalty physically resemble a flick of two fingers and a smirk at a deranged, ‘sledging’ Joe Hart, put him on the same level as the lauded Barca midfielders. Alonso is good, but this year Pirlo out-shone the well groomed Spaniard hands down.

Messi and Ronaldo, the Alpha and the Omega, I don’t need to justify their places in my XI. What I shouldn’t have to justify is the inclusion of Didier ‘who let The Drog out?’ Drogba over Radamel ‘that goal falcaout of nowhere’ Falcao. Yes, Falcao is incredible, and winning the Europa League by yourself is quite something. BUT winning the Champions League on your own, whilst balancing your teammates on your shoulders and riding your luck like it’s Red Rum in an Indiana Jones film is better. Although he may have reached the end of the road, this was his year. When all Chelsea heads went down in the final, The Drog launched himself above the pack and said ‘Nah mate. I’ve waited too long for this.’ His omission from the FIFA World XI team is laughable.

So there it is, an honest and carefully considered Winter’s World XI. Try and pay attention next year yeah, FIFA?

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