- Dimitri Payet shortlisted for a place in the FIFPro World 11
- West Ham United star among 55 players nominated by his fellow professionals
- French midfielder has enjoyed an outstanding 2016 for Club and country
West Ham United star Dimitri Payet has been named among the 55 players vying for a place in the FIFPro World 11.
Thousands of professionals from all over the world were invited to pick one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three attackers in their own World 11 by FIFPro, the World Players’ Union.
France international Payet, who has enjoyed an outstanding 2016 for Club and country, unsurprisingly earned the acclaim of his contemporaries, being named as one of 15 midfielders on the final shortlist.
The 29-year-old has shone throughout the year for the Hammers, scoring nine goals and recording 18 assists for Slaven Bilic’s side. This season, he has made 46 key passes in just eleven Premier League appearances – eleven more than Manchester City’s Belgium star and fellow World 11 nominee Kevin De Bruyne.
Payet was one of nine players to be named on the World 11 shortlist for the first time, joining fellow Frenchmen Antoine Griezmann and N’Golo Kante.
He is one of 14 Premier League players included, joining Chelsea trio Kante, Eden Hazard and David Luiz, Manchester United duo David de Gea and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy, Manchester City quartet De Bruyne, David Silva, Claudio Bravo and Sergio Aguero and Arsenal trio Hector Bellerin, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
The FIFPro World 11 will be unveiled in Zurich on 9 January 2017.
Meanwhile, the No27 is also among 12 midfielders shortlisted for a place in the UEFA Team of the Year.
With 14 goals and 19 assists in 47 appearances for West Ham and France, Payet leads both categories among midfield players in European football.
To vote the Hammers favourite into your UEFA Team of the Year, click here now.