ARGENTINA’S WORLD CUP-WINNING captain Lionel Messi heads a 14-strong shortlist for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award
Messi’s World Cup heroics earn him a place on the list, alongside his international team-mate Julian Alvarez of Manchester City.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham is on the list after a stellar World Cup which has made him one of the most sought-after players on the planet, while France forward Kylian Mbappe, who scored a hat-trick in last month’s World Cup final but still ended up on the losing side, is also nominated.
In addition to Alvarez, there are three more current Premier League players on the list – his City team-mates Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland along with Liverpool’s Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah.
Salah’s former Reds team-mate Sadio Mane, now with Bayern Munich, is also on the list.
Morocco’s incredible run to the World Cup semi-finals is recognised with Paris St Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi’s inclusion, while three members of Real Madrid’s Champions League-winning team – Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, and Vinicius Junior – are in contention.
Three of the England team which triumphed at the Euros have been shortlisted for The Best FIFA Women’s Player award.
Top scorer Beth Mead, captain Leah Williamson, and midfield star Keira Walsh have all made it onto the initial list of 14.
Spain and Barcelona star Alexia Putellas, who won the award last year, has been shortlisted again, with Chelsea and Australia star Sam Kerr also on the list.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is one of five names on the best men’s coach shortlist. He is joined by Argentina’s World Cup-winning coach Lionel Scaloni, France’s Didier Deschamps, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, and Morocco boss Walid Regragui.
England manager Sarina Wiegman is on the women’s coach list, alongside Chelsea’s Emma Hayes, Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor, Canada’s English coach Bev Priestman, Brazil’s Swedish coach Pia Sundhage, and Germany’s Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.
Lionesses number one Mary Earps is nominated for the best women’s goalkeeper prize, with Premier League stars Alisson, Ederson, and Emiliano Martinez in the running for the men’s goalkeeper award.
Alessia Russo’s incredible back-heeled finish in England’s Euros semi-final win over Sweden is among the contenders for the FIFA Puskas Award for the year’s best goal, with Kylian Mbappe’s volley which took the World Cup final to extra-time and Richarlison’s scissor kick for Brazil against Serbia in the World Cup group stage also included.
Voting closes on February 3, with the three finalists in each category to be announced later that month.
The Best FIFA Women’s Player:
- Aitana Bonmatí (Spain / FC Barcelona)
- Debinha (Brazil / North Carolina Courage)
- Jessie Fleming (Canada / Chelsea FC Women)
- Ada Hegerberg (Norway / Olympique Lyonnais)
- Sam Kerr (Australia / Chelsea FC Women)
- Beth Mead (England / Arsenal WFC)
- Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands / Arsenal WFC)
- Alex Morgan (USA / Orlando Pride / San Diego Wave)
- Lena Oberdorf (Germany / VfL Wolfsburg)
- Alexandra Popp (Germany / VfL Wolfsburg)
- Alexia Putellas (Spain / FC Barcelona)
- Wendie Renard (France / Olympique Lyonnais)
- Keira Walsh (England / Manchester City WFC / FC Barcelona)
- Leah Williamson (England / Arsenal WFC)
The Best FIFA Men’s Player:
- Julián Álvarez (Argentina / Club Atlético River Plate / Manchester City FC)
- Jude Bellingham (England / BV Borussia 09 Dortmund)
- Karim Benzema (France / Real Madrid CF)
- Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium / Manchester City FC)
- Erling Haaland (Norway / BV Borussia 09 Dortmund / Manchester City FC)
- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / Paris Saint-Germain FC)
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland / FC Bayern München / FC Barcelona)
- Sadio Mané (Senegal / Liverpool FC / FC Bayern München)
- Kylian Mbappé (France / Paris Saint-Germain FC )
- Lionel Messi (Argentina / Paris Saint-Germain FC)
- Luka Modrić (Croatia / Real Madrid CF)
- Neymar (Brazil / Paris Saint-Germain FC)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt / Liverpool FC)
- Vinícius Junior (Brazil / Real Madrid CF)
The Best FIFA Women’s Coach:
- Sonia Bompastor (France / Olympique Lyonnais)
- Emma Hayes (England / Chelsea FC Women)
- Bev Priestman (England / Canadian National Team)
- Pia Sundhage (Sweden / Brazilian National Team)
- Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (Germany / German National Team)
- Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands / English National Team)
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach:
- Carlo Ancelotti (Italy / Real Madrid CF)
- Didier Deschamps (France / French National Team)
- Pep Guardiola (Spain / Manchester City FC)
- Walid Regragui (Morocco / Wydad AC / Moroccan National Team)
- Lionel Scaloni (Argentina / Argentinian National Team)
The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper:
- Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany / Chelsea FC Women)
- Mary Earps (England / Manchester United WFC)
- Christiane Endler (Chile / Olympique Lyonnais)
- Merle Frohms (Germany / Eintracht Frankfurt / VfL Wolfsburg)
- Alyssa Naeher (USA / Chicago Red Stars)
- Sandra Paños García-Villamil (Spain / FC Barcelona)
The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper:
- Álisson Becker (Brazil / Liverpool FC)
- Yassine Bounou (Morocco / Sevilla FC)
- Thibaut Courtois (Belgium / Real Madrid CF)
- Ederson (Brazil / Manchester City FC)
- Emiliano Martínez (Argentina / Aston Villa FC)
The FIFA Puskás Award:
- Mario Balotelli (Italy): Adana Demirspor v. Göztepe Spor Kulübü [Süper Lig] (22 May 2022)
- Amandine Henry (France): FC Barcelona v. Olympique Lyonnais [UEFA Women's Champions League] (21 May 2022)
- Théo Hernández (France): AC Milan v. Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, [Serie A] (15 May 2022)
- Alou Kuol (Australia): Iraq U23 v. Australia U23 [AFC U23 Asian Cup] (4 June 2022)
- Kylian Mbappé (France): Argentina v. France [FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™] (18 December 2022)
- Francisco González Metilli (Argentina): Club Atlético Central Córdoba v. Club Atlético Rosario Central [Primera División] (1 August 2022)
- Marcin Oleksy (Poland): Warta Poznań v. Stal Rzeszów [PZU Amp Futbol Ekstraklasa] (6 November 2022)
- Salma Paralluelo (Spain): FC Barcelona v. Villarreal CF [Liga F] (2 April 2022)
- Dimitri Payet (France): Olympique de Marseille v. PAOK Thessaloniki FC [UEFA Europa Conference League] (7 April 2022)
- Richarlison (Brazil): Brazil v. Serbia [FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022] (24 November 2022)
- Alessia Russo (England): England v. Sweden [UEFA Women's EURO 2022] (26 July 2022)
The Best FIFA Fan Award:
- Abdullah Al Salmi (Saudi Arabia): Abdullah journeyed by foot from his hometown of Jeddah to Qatar, hiking across the Saudi Arabian desert, to support his national team at the FIFA World Cup.
- Argentinian National Team fans (Argentina): Argentina fans travelled to Qatar in impressive numbers to provide incredible support for their team’s ultimately victorious FIFA World Cup campaign, and millions of fans then welcomed their heroes home to Buenos Aires and across the country.
- Japanese National Team fans (Japan): Japan fans earned worldwide recognition for their tradition of staying behind to help clean the stadium after World Cup games.
