Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were named in FIFPro World XI for the 11th time... but there have only been two Premier League stars in the last six years as the same old faces dominate

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You know how the old saying goes: Death, taxes and no Premier League representation in the FIFPro World XI.

The star-studded line-up, voted for by footballers all over the globe, was unveiled at FIFA's 'The Best' awards in London on Monday night and - surprise, surprise - there wasn't an English top-flight player in sight.

That's become the norm over recent seasons, with the division conspicuous by its absence from all bar one of the past six editions while Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and La Liga have dominated.

Cristiano Ronaldo takes a look at his trophy after being named in the FIFPro World XI

Gianluigi Buffon, Dani Alves, Leonardo Bonucci, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Andres Iniesta; Lionel Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar were named in the FIFPro World XI at a ceremony in London on Monday night

Steven Gerrard is pictured at the 2009 awards - he has been named in the XI three times

Ronaldo is pictured with Wayne Rooney and John Terry at the 2006 awards

We can bang on about the lack of Englishmen - Wayne Rooney was the last back in 2011 - but it's not all that surprising, given England's mediocre FIFA ranking and miserable tournament record during the decade-and-a-bit that the XI has been selected.

The real curiosity stretches beyond nationality.

The Premier League has been grossly underrepresented, especially when you consider just how much money has been invested by the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United since the FIFPro XI was established in 2005.

Just two of the 66 available places since 2011 have gone to players plying their trade in the English top flight, and both of them - David Luiz and Angel di Maria - spent half of the year in question at clubs abroad.

Compare those figures, if you will, with La Liga's and the difference is staggering.

Of the 143 spaces in various FIFPro World XIs, 81 have gone to players playing in Spain. And by Spain, we really mean the Nou Camp and the Bernabeu.

After all, just two individuals - Radamel Falcao of Atletico Madrid in 2012 and David Villa of Valencia in 2010 - have come from outside the El Clasico duopoly.

The UEFA coefficient, the algorithm designed to rank each member association's league structure, is heavily weighted in Spain's favour and perhaps that gives some indication why players have voted as they have.

Left to right: Sergio Ramos, James Rodriguez, Ronaldo, Florentino Perez and Kroos

Wayne Rooney was named in the 2011 FIFPro World XI and received a trophy from Pele

The 2009 FIFPro World XI, which included Terry and Gerrard, line up in Zurich

Yet Atletico have reached two Champions League finals in the past four years and have barely had a sniff of inclusion. Sevilla won the Europa League - another contributing factor to the coefficient ranking - three seasons out of four and were not represented whatsoever.

Juventus, who have reached the last two in Europe's premier competition twice in three years and claimed the Serie A title in all three, have only had five players named in that time.

Conversely, Barcelona - one final and two titles - have had 12 representatives in the same period. 

In 2012, Chelsea beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final and none of the players involved in that game made the World XI named the following January. Barcelona, who finished runners-up in La Liga in 2011-12 and were beaten by the Blues in Europe, had five.

The 2015 FIFPro World XI line up during the ceremony in Zurich on January 11, 2016

It could be down to football's intrinsic self-obsession or perhaps the bedazzling nature of La Liga's two giant clubs - Sportsmail's chief sports writer Martin Samuel wrote after the announcement of the 2016 XI that the footballers polled 'appear to have voted like star-struck 11-year-olds at the PlayStation controls' - but, whatever the reason, English players and English clubs can't seem to break back into the elite.

At least not in the minds of 25,000 of their peers.

Harry Kane was the only Englishman on the 55-strong shortlist for the 2017 XI, just as Jamie Vardy rode solo a year previously. In 2015, there were two - Terry and Rooney.

The Premier League as a whole had 13 players on the shortlist - the same number as Real Madrid, a baffling statistic. That was down by two on 2016 numbers and three up on the 10 who were nominated in 2015.

The likes of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva all missed out this year but, Pepe, with 13 La Liga appearances for Real, was included in the initial 55. 

Jose Mourinho once tried to explain away football's habit of turning its nose up at the English game by suggesting that the Premier League is the best in the world because it forces players to continuously up their game. In Europe, he claimed, it is 'easier to succeed'.

Ramos speaks to the audience at the 2014 ceremony as Philipp Lahm listens in

A large number of players picked for the team since 2005 have been playing in Spain

'In England, you don't do 100 points, you don't score 125 goals unless Manchester City can do it this season. But normally the evolution of a player needs difficulty and the difficulties help the development of a player,' Mourinho told the Evening Standard in 2014. 

'You reach your maximum with difficult situations. The big push comes. After that you have choices, stay in the most beautiful league to play or go where it is easier to succeed.'

Mourinho's argument seemed to be that some leagues in continental Europe are more self-indulgent than England's.

'For me the situation is clear, the best place to develop is in the most difficult league,' he said, referring to the Premier League.

'Of course it is easier to succeed abroad.'

But not in the FIFPro World XI, it turns out.

Since its inauguration, Premier League clubs have filled 24 places in these teams (nine apiece for United and Chelsea, five for Liverpool and one for Arsenal - Manchester City, despite two titles, have yet to make the cut). Italian clubs have filled 23, Bayern Munich nine and Paris Saint-Germain seven.

Then there's La Liga's 81.

Since its inauguration, Spanish players have taken 67 of the places on offer - largely a result of their utter domination of the game between 2008 and 2012 - but that's the same number as Germany, France, England and Argentina all added together.

The FIFPro World XI may claim to be 'The Best', but is it really better than all the rest? 

FIFPRO WORLD XIs SINCE 2005 

2005: Dida (Milan), Paolo Maldini (Milan), John Terry (Chelsea), Alessandro Nesta (Milan), Cafu (Milan), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Claude Makelele (Chelsea), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Ronaldinho (Barcelona), Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona), Andriy Shevchenko (Milan)

2006: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Gianluca Zambrotta (Juventus/Barcelona), John Terry (Chelsea), Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus/Real Madrid), Lilian Thuram (Juventus/Barcelona), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Kaka (Milan), Andrea Pirlo (Milan), Ronaldinho (Barcelona), Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona), Thierry Henry (Arsenal)

2007: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Alessandro Nesta (Milan), John Terry (Chelsea), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Kaka (Milan), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Ronaldinho (Barcelona), Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

Left to right: Messi, Lillian Thuram, Ronaldinho and Gianluca Zambrotta in 2006

2008: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Kaka (Milan), Xavi (Barcelona), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

2009: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United/Real Madrid), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

2010: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Lucio (Internazionale), Maicon (Internazionale), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), Wesley Sneijder (Internazionale), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), David Villa (Valencia/Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

2011: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona),  Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

2012: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid), Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

The 2011 team members (left to right): Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Nemanja Vidic, Iniesta, Xavi, Messi, Rooney, plus Zinedine Zidane and Pele

2013: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG), Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

2014: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG), David Luiz (Chelsea/PSG), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich/Real Madrid), Angel Di María (Real Madrid/Manchester United), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

2015: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Neymar (Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

2016: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Dani Alves (Barcelona/Juventus), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Luis Suarez (Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

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