No Harry Kane or Raphinha? Six Paris St-Germain players? A Scott McTominay-less midfield? Any team of the year selection always raises debate.

On Tuesday in Qatar, Fifa held The Best Awards and the Men’s XI was named based on achievements between 11 August 2024 and 2 August 2025.

Fifa’s team was voted for by international captains, coaches and members of the media from selected nations, but of course, only 11 players can make the cut.

Supporters often fight the case for their favourite players and there are always a disgruntled few who miss out.

So BBC Sport has created an alternative World XI of players not selected.

We have opted for the same 4-4-2 formation as Fifa’s Best XI and have not included any more PSG players because the European champions dominate the original team.

No doubt there will still be arguments over our selection – but you can have your say on who should have been included in the comments section below.

Liverpool‘s Brazilian goalkeeper proved his worth once again as the Reds claimed their 20th league title – and his second at the club.

Alisson, 33, remains one of the best shot stoppers in the world and registered 10 clean sheets in 28 Premier League matches last season.

Arne Slot’s side came up against eventual winners PSG at the last 16 stage of the Champions League, but Alisson put in one of the best individual performances in the competition last term in the first leg victory.

Jules Kounde has the right-back spot at Barcelona locked down, making 53 appearances for the La Liga and Copa del Rey winners in all competitions last season.

The 27-year-old played a key role in Barca’s run to the Champions League semi-finals, where they were dramatically beaten in Inter Milan’s San Siro late on.

He also featured regularly for a France side that secured World Cup qualification.

Since signing from Lille in 2020, Gabriel has gradually worked his way into the bracket of one of the Premier League’s best defenders.

It was once thought the Brazil international played second fiddle to the talent of William Saliba beside him but Gabriel’s importance to Mikel Arteta’s side grows game after game. He is even a goal threat now!

Gabriel made 42 appearances last season, keeping 14 clean sheets, as Arsenal finished second in the Premier League and were beaten by PSG in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Alessandro Bastoni has become the key man at the back for an Inter Milan side which competed in the their first Champions League final since 2010.

He started in all but one of their 15 European matches, keeping eight clean sheets along the way.

The 27-year-old Italy international also featured in 33 of Inter’s 38 Serie A matches as they tasted heartbreak on the final day when losing the title to Napoli by a point.

Once booed by Chelsea fans, Marc Cucurella has become a fan-favourite at Stamford Bridge for his talent and tenacity at left-back.

After missing out on Champions League football, Cucurella was one of the reasons Chelsea were able to push into the top four last season.

He was part of the team that won the Uefa Conference League in May. That, of course, came before the Blues crossed the Atlantic and became world champions.

Cucurella appeared 54 times for Chelsea last season, scoring seven and assisting four times.

What more can be said about Mohamed Salah?

The Egyptian produced his best season as Liverpool won the Premier League by 10 points.

The 33-year-old registered a terrific 34 goals and 23 assists in 54 games across all competitions.

He was also crowned PFA Player of the Year, Football Writers’ Player of the Year and Premier League Player of the Year alongside winning the Premier League Golden Boot and Playmaker Award.

Declan Rice’s progress since moving to Arsenal from West Ham for a huge £100m in 2023 has been impressive.

The 26-year-old is a stalwart in the England midfield as they build towards the World Cup but is also one of the first names on the Gunners’ team sheet.

Rice played 52 times in all competitions for Arsenal last season, scoring nine and assisting 10 times.

He also produced one of the moments of the Champions League with two jaw-dropping free-kicks in a 3-0 win over Real Madrid.

You would have been forgiven if you didn’t think Scott McTominay would turn into the midfielder he has after leaving Manchester United for Napoli in 2024.

The 29-year-old featured 34 times for Napoli in Serie A last season. He netted 12 times and registered six assists as the Gli Azzurri won the Scudetto on a dramatic final day.

McTominay has also become one of the key men for Scotland as he helped set them on their way for their first World Cup qualification in 28 years.

Barcelona’s Raphinha made his feelings known on social media after missing out on yet another World XI, posting his own stats.

It’s hard to deny the Brazilian should have been included – he is a key player in a Barca side that won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and were narrowly beaten in the Champions League semi-finals.

The former Leeds winger made 57 appearances in all competitions, scoring 34 goals and assisting 26 times.

Perhaps the biggest omission from the Fifa Best XI.

Harry Kane, somehow, has gone up a level since leaving Tottenham for Bayern Munich in 2023, finally winning a first major trophy last term.

England’s captain appeared 51 times for Bayern last season and netted an outstanding 41 goals.

Kane isn’t just about goals, though. Regularly dropping deep means he is able to use his passing ability and register 14 assists.

On an international level, Kane has taken his record England goal tally to 78 with Thomas Tuchel’s side earning World Cup qualification.

It’s always difficult to leave Manchester City‘s goal machine Erling Haaland out of a World XI but, as it’s based on last season, Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski gets the nod.

At 37, the Pole is still one of the most feared strikers in the world and he proved that as he led the line in Barcelona’s double-winning season.

In 52 games across all competitions, Lewandowski scored 42 goals. This includes 11 in the Champions League.

As expected, PSG dominated the Fifa Best XI with six players. Liverpool‘s Virgil van Dijk and Chelsea‘s Cole Palmer were the only representatives from the Premier League.

Fifa Best XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Man City), Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Willian Pacho (PSG), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Vitinha (PSG), Pedri (Barcelona), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) and Ousmane Dembele (PSG).

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.