Cristiano Ronaldo's victory in FIFA's Best male player award was not exactly the surprise of the evening. Nor was Gianluigi Buffon's victory in the best goalkeeper category but the absence of one of the Italian's fellow union members did baffle many.
Has Gianluigi Buffon really been the best goalkeeper in the world for the past year? It would be difficult to say for definite that he has but he helped his team win Serie A and reach the Champions League final last season which is usually enough these days for personal awards.
One thing is for sure though, no one will begrudge the Juventus number one's achievement last night. The award might not be for lifetime achievement but the Italian certainly deserves it for that reason alone.
Buffon accepting his award at last night's ceremony. Image: PA
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However whilst the choice might have been a little contentious it is one complete absence from the full 15 man list that has baffled many fans, especially those from the Premier League.
Among the many great names there was one rather obvious one missing altogether, David de Gea:
And fans on social media couldn't quite believe that the Manchester United goalie picked up a total of zero votes:
De Gea's 2016/17 might not have been as good as his previous two seasons for the Old Trafford club but that's mainly due to the fact United were far better than they had been previously and he didn't need to be their only saviour.
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Nonetheless the Spaniard still had a great season and is easily in the top three keepers in the world surely.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Goalkeepers, David De Gea, FIFA, Gianluigi Buffon, The Best
