In the dark: 3 worst snubs from FIFA FIFPro World XI
For an idea of just how hard it is to crack the FIFA FIFPro World XI - voted on by players worldwide - one only needs to look at those who didn't make the cut.
Related - 2016 FIFA World XI: Suarez beats out Griezmann for honour
Here are the three worst snubs from the FIFA FIFPro World XI:
Neymar
It feels somewhat criminal to omit Neymar from a list of the planet's top 11 footballers, even if there's only room for three forwards.
The FIFA FIFPro World XI was determined by a total of 26,516 players in 69 countries, and although Neymar's snub wasn't particularly shocking given who the phenom was battling for a spot, it's still a snub to one of the most talented footballers of the modern era, and one of the most genius Brazilians to ever kick a ball.
Neymar's partnership with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez continued to blossom in 2016, but away from Barcelona the product of Santos exhibited what he brings to the pitch when his partners in crime aren't there to support him. He was the poster boy of Rio 2016, converting the penalty kick that allowed Brazil to complete its trophy cabinet. He was also the architect behind the Selecao's resurrection under Tite, scoring in four of the national team's six 2018 World Cup qualifiers during the calendar year.
Simply put, Neymar should be on the list.
Antoine Griezmann
For 32 years, no player had managed to score six goals at a European Championship until Antoine Griezmann - Atletico Madrid's pesky frontman - inspired France to the Euro 2016 final on home soil.
In addition to his Golden Boot, Griezmann was selected as the best player at the tournament, and partnered Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the attack of UEFA's Team of the Year. At this gala, Luis Suarez was deemed to have had a better year.
Griezmann didn't just take the spotlight on the international stage, beginning the current campaign with a consistent scoring record after last season's 22 league strikes - narrowly missing out to Barcelona for La Liga's top spot - along with seven tallies and an assist in the Champions League run to the final, where Atleti was scuppered by Real Madrid.
How can a finalist for The Best FIFA Men's Player not find himself in the FIFPro FIFA World XI?
N'Golo Kante
Out of 452 voters, N'Golo Kante was viewed as one of the best three players in 2016 by only 10 people. For one of his supporters, Chinese Taipei coach Kazuo Kuroda, both Jamie Vardy and Kante had a better year than Monday's Best FIFA Men's Player award winner, Ronaldo.
But Kante, now at Chelsea after a summer switch from shock Premier League champion Leicester City, won't be greatly surprised by this snub. The diminutive Frenchman was quietly busy in the middle over 2016, snuffing out opposition attacks, snapping at foes' feet, and then laying on the easy ball to a teammate. It took around halfway through the Foxes' victorious campaign for Kante to earn half the praise he merited.
Over 2015-16, the 25-year-old eclipsed the chosen midfield three - Andres Iniesta, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric - for interceptions, tackles, and blocks per 90 minutes. True, those statistics satisfy a more defensively minded player like Kante, but his omission suggests a lack of appreciation for those vital attributes. And between Kante and the selected trio, only Kroos was dispossessed less than the overlooked SM Caen product.
At Chelsea, Kante's form hasn't taken any dip whatsoever, with his impeccable work rate helping free Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, and Pedro in Antonio Conte's 3-4-3 setup. The Blues hold a five-point cushion atop the Premier League after 20 matches.