The agent of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has posted a savage attack on FIFA after his client was excluded from the best XI of 2021.
Benzema missed out on the team of the year despite being named among the 11 candidates for the Best Men’s Player of 2021, which was won by Robert Lewandowski.
Unsurprisingly, Lewandowski was named in the strongest XI of the year but that Benzema was not named among the four attacking stars on the team raised some eyebrows.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland were also included in the team, but the Real Madrid marksman was excluded from the line-up.
Benzema’s agent Karim Djaziri called the decision “a lack of respect for football” alongside a blistering attack on world football’s governing body.
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Benzema has already bagged 24 goals in just 27 appearances for Real Madrid this campaign and is in the form of his life, now aged 34.
He has also enjoyed a return to the France international setup, for whom he netted five goals in 10 games and helped secure the Nations League title for them – netting in both the semi-final and final, the latter of which was a remarkable strike.
Real Madrid have lost stars in recent years but Benzema has not only become their most important and influential player, but also the standout player in La Liga.
The Frenchman has netted an impressive 302 career goals for the Spanish capital club while his goal output has rocketed since Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus in the summer of 2018.
Benzema has netted 110 goals in the seasons since – his campaigns goal tallies coming in at 30, 27 and 30 in the three full campaigns while he is on track for the best scoring campaign of his career this time round.
This was not enough to secure his place in FIFA’s top XI as Benzema was overlooked by a number of his peers.
The player’s agent Djaziri wrote on Twitter: "Not putting Benzema in the XI of the year is a lack of respect for football, but we know that football is the least of FIFA's concerns, and it has been for a long time!"
Benzema ranked fourth in the voting for The Best awards – missing out on a podium finish behind Lewandowski, Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah, the latter of whom also missed out in the XI.
Benzema won 30 points in the voting, ahead of Ronaldo (23) and Haaland (7) who both made the strongest line-up.
FIFA’s Best Men’s XI was revealed as: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Ruben Dias, Leonardo Bonucci, David Alaba; Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Kevin De Bruyne; Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland.
