There were many more deserving recipients of a place in the Team of the Year; but who are they?
As the Team of the Year was announced at the Ballon d’Or awards on Monday night, many fans, players and pundits alike were shocked to see PSG star David Luiz included despite achieving little else than making an inflated move to PSG from Chelsea.
Luiz ended last season with Chelsea having fallen back in the pecking order under Jose Mourinho and was sold to PSG for £50m just before he embarked on a World Cup campaign on home soil where his shortcomings were painfully exposed.
Without Thiago Silva alongside him, Luiz struggled and against Germany in the semi final he failed to marshall his back line appropriately, and had to just stand and watch as the eventual winners notched seven past the hosts. This was followed by three more against Holland in the third place playoff.
Since then, he has been a part of the PSG side that has struggled to keep ahead of the chasing pack in the domestic Ligue 1 campaign. The defending champions currently sit in fourth, and thanks to a thread on Reddit, we have picked 15 names that would have been more worthwhile inclusions than Luiz.
Diego Godin – Atletico Madrid
The Uruguayan captained his side to a moments La Liga title win ahead of some stern competition in the shape of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Jerome Boateng – Bayern Munich
Helped his side stay dominant both domestically and in Europe. He also helped Germany to another World Cup title.
Mehdi Benatia – Bayern Munich
Having enjoyed a breakthrough year with Roma, Bayern wasted no time in snapping him up ahead of some other prominent interested parties. He is now a functioning part of the Bayern title machine.
John Terry – Chelsea
The former England man has enjoyed a renaissance over the past 18-months and is currently leading Chelsea to another Premier League victory after missing out last season.
Miranda – Atletico Madrid
The perfect foil for Godin, but is now wanted by half of Europe.
Vincent Kompany – Manchester City
Kompany picked up another Premier League winner’s medal last term, and followed that up by a tremendous performance at the World Cup with Belgium.
Raphael Varane – Real Madrid
The young Frenchman is on a fast track to superstardom after playing a huge part in Real Madrid’s Champions League win. Also starred at the World Cup with France.
Giorgio Chiellini – Juventus
The Franco Baresi of his day. He kept Juve tight at the back in another title winning season, but will sadly be best remembered for being Luis Suarez’s latest bite victim.
Stefan de Vrij – Lazio
A left field choice here, but de Vrij’s form with Feyenoord was spotted by Lazio, who are enjoying a strong showing this term.
Matts Hummels – Borussia Dortmund
Another World Cup winner, Hummels has been a consistently strong presence for Dortmund despite a downturn in fortunes this season.
Andrea Barzagli – Juventus
An often forgotten hero for both club and country. He may be getting on in years now, but is credited with being the catalyst for Juve’s most recent domination.
Sergio Ramos – Real Madrid
Ramos was included in the side anyway in the right-back position, though he often played in the centre for the European champions to great effect.
Gary Cahill – Chelsea
Cahill has been a strong partner for Terry, and together they have provided the Premier League with its stingiest defence.
Javier Mascherano – Barcelona
Masch has filled in capably at the back for Barca despite being a defensive midfielder by trade.
Ezequiel Garay – Zenit St Petersburg
A long shot call, but after Benfica’s triple heartbreak of the 2012/13 season, he played a major part on correcting the mistakes last term. Earned a big-money move to Zenit over the summer where he is helping the club sit atop the domestic table.