Cristiano Ronaldo gets FIFA recognition despite sour Manchester United exit

Cristiano Ronaldo has been named on FIFA's 26-man shortlist for the FIFPro team of the year.

Ronaldo called time on his second spell at Manchester United last year and has since signed for Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr.

His performances for the Reds during the 2021/22 season have seemingly caught the eye of panelists, with Manchester City's Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Joao Cancelo also making the cut. England midfielder Jude Bellingham - who has been linked with both United and City - is also included.

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Ronaldo hit 24 goals in 39 games for United last season, whilst delivering some stand-out performances in the UEFA Champions League that saw the club reach the knockout stages of the competition.

Whilst his international endeavors didn't go to plan with Portugal at the World Cup in Qatar, the former Real Madrid striker still showed his talents on the world stage before he opted to swap Manchester for the Middle East after a controversial interview with Piers Morgan saw United cut ties with the 38-year-old.

Lionel Messi remains a favourite to scoop multiple football awards for his efforts with Argentina later this year, whilst Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski also enjoyed stellar years and could push Ronaldo out of the FIFpro starting XI.

The full list of nominees for the FIFPro team of the year as follows:

Goalkeepers

Alisson Becker (Liverpool, Brazil)

Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium)

Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, Argentina)

Defenders

Joao Cancelo (Manchester City/Bayern Munich, Portugal)

Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich, Canada)

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Netherlands)

Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig,