Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have been nominated for the FIFA Best Men’s Player Award 2022 after leading the FIFA World Cup 2022 final in Qatar.
The nominees for the upcoming The Best FIFA Football AwardsTM 2022 have been narrowed down by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The only other member of La Albiceleste to make the prestigious Best FIFA Men’s Player shortlist is Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez, who is included on the list of 14 players alongside Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
Messi has emerged as the favorite to win the prestigious trophy this year after helping Argentina win its third FIFA World Cup victory in Qatar last year. 2019 was Messi’s most recent Best FIFA Men’s Player triumph. Among the favorites in the men’s division are Argentina’s captain Messi, French forward Mbappe, and Brazilian Neymar. Along with Kevin De Bruyne, Robert Lewandowski, Mohamed Salah, and Luka Modric, current Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema is also among the contenders for the Best FIFA Men’s Player honor.
READ MORE: Lionel Messi Named IFFHS Men’s World Best Player 2022
Ronaldo has no place
Winning the Ballon d’Or five times Cristiano Ronaldo was not included on FIFA’s shortlist for Best Men’s Player. Prior to the FIFA World Cup 2022, Ronaldo parted ties with Manchester United. The former Real Madrid and Juventus star joined Al-Nassr following a forgettable World Cup 2022 campaign. One of the glaring omissions from the A-list is the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. Ronaldo, a prolific goal scorer, won the prestigious trophy in 2016 and 2017.
Along with Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid and Pep Guardiola of Manchester City, the shortlist for the Best FIFA Men’s Coach award includes Argentina’s FIFA World Cup-winning head coach Lionel Scaloni, France’s head coach Didier Deschamps, and Morocco’s manager Walid Regragui. Alisson Becker of Liverpool, Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid, and Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa are the front-runners for The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award. A shortlist of 11 players for this year’s Puskas Award has also been revealed by FIFA. Alexia Putellas, the 2017 Ballon d’Or winner, is one of 14 players up for the Best FIFA Women’s Player award.
Nominees for Best FIFA Men’s Player award:
Julián Álvarez (Argentina / 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)
Robert Lewandowski (Poland / FC Bayern München / FC Barcelona)
Sadio Mané (Senegal / Liverpool FC / FC Bayern München)
Kylian Mbappé (France / Paris Saint-Germain)
Lionel Messi (Argentina / Paris Saint-Germain)
Luka Modrić (Croatia / Real Madrid CF)
Neymar (Brazil / Paris Saint-Germain)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt / Liverpool FC)
Vinícius Junior (Brazil / Real Madrid CF)
ALSO READ: Messi Selected as BBC World Sport Star 2022
Nominees for Best FIFA Women’s Player award:
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 international governing body of association football will reveal the three finalists in each of the seven categories in early February. FIFA will announce the winners on February 27 in Paris.
