FIFA, football’s global governing body, has announced the nominees for The BEST football awards, with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar among the favorites in the Men’s Player category.
However, Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo is missing from the list following a disappointing campaign in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The 37-year-old scored just one goal in the tournament, from the penalty spot, and was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Morocco.
FIFA, football’s global governing body, has announced the nominees for The BEST football awards, with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar among the favorites in the Men’s Player category.
However, Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo is missing from the list following a disappointing campaign in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The 37-year-old scored just one goal in the tournament, from the penalty spot, and was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Morocco.
Here is the entire list for nominees in the Men’s Player section:
- 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)
Lionel Scaloni (Argentina) and Didier Deschamps (France), both head coaches of teams that qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2022, are among the five coaches nominated for the best Men’s football coach, with Pep Guardiola, Carlos Ancelotti, and Walid Regragui rounding out the list.
Morocco’s first-ever World Cup semifinal was led by Regragui.
Mbappe and Richarlison are the frontrunners for the Puskas Award.
The Puskas Award nominees for best goal of the year include some of the most iconic goals from the 2022 World Cup, including Richarlison’s overhead kick against Serbia and Kylian Mbappe’s late equalizer.
Entire list for 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)
No Lloris in The Best Men’s goalkeeper nominees
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Champions League winner Thibaut Courtois are among the five nominees for The Best Men’s goalkeeper, with Yassine Bounou earning a nomination after his World Cup heroics in Qatar.
Both Brazil goalkeepers, Ederson and Alisson Becker, are the other two in the race for the best goalkeeper, while French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who made it to consecutive World Cup finals, was missing on the list.
