Mohamed Salah misses out on 2025 FIFA Men’s Best XI

Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah has been overlooked in the 2025 FIFA Men’s Best XI despite his astonishing 57-goal contribution in the year under review.

The Liverpool forward enjoyed an outstanding campaign, playing a central role in the club’s English Premier League title triumph.

Alongside lifting the league trophy, Salah claimed the Golden Boot and was also named Playmaker of the Season and Player of the Season, underlining his influence throughout the year.

Despite those achievements, his name was absent when FIFA unveiled the best eleven players from last season during Tuesday night’s FIFA Best Awards.

The omission came in spite of Salah registering an impressive 57 goal contributions across all competitions, a return that placed him among Europe’s most productive attackers. It also followed a similar disappointment just over a month earlier, when he was excluded from the FIFPRO XI.

The final lineup was headlined by Ousmane Dembélé, who was crowned Men’s Player of the Year after a quadruple-winning season with Paris Saint-Germain, edging out Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal for the top honour.

While Dembélé’s inclusion came as no surprise, Salah’s absence raised eyebrows, particularly given his statistical output and his leadership during challenging periods for Liverpool, where he delivered consistent performances throughout the campaign.

Salah was not the only notable name missing from the list, with other prominent absentees including La Liga Player of the Year Raphinha and Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe, further fueling debate over the final selection.