Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland will all be in the running for the FIFA Best Men’s Player Award in 2023.
The group was released by FIFA on Thursday. The top three vote-getters were the same as those who won the Ballon d’Or in October.
During the Ballon d’Or voting period, Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, with Messi leading the way. However, he had already won his seventh career FIFA award in February for his title-winning play in Qatar.
Aitana Bonmati and Jenni Hermoso, both of Spain, who won the 2023 World Cup, are on the shortlist for best female player. So is Linda Caicedo of Colombia.
The FIFA men’s award for 2023 recognizes Haaland’s great season, which helped Manchester City win the English Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League.
Barcelona lost to Real Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League. Messi and Mbappe helped Paris Saint-Germain win the French League. He then joined Inter Miami and helped the team win the League Cup right away.
In October, Bonmati won the Ballon d’Or for women. In August, she got a UEFA award for being the best player in Europe last season. The Women’s Champions League and the Spanish League were both won by Barcelona with her help.
Bonmati spoke out in support of her teammate Hermoso during her acceptance speech in August. At the World Cup trophy ceremony in Sydney, Luis Rubiales, head of the Spanish Football Federation, kissed Hermoso on the lips without her permission.
Three weeks after the August 20th final, Rubiales finally quit, and because of the fallout, Jorge Vilda, the coach of the women’s team, was fired as well. Vilda didn’t make FIFA’s list of candidates for the football teaching award for women. The FIFA award show is on January 15th in London.
There was an online poll that ended in October and was used by national team captains, coaches, journalists, and fans to vote.
Coaches
Pep Guardiola and Jonatan Giraldez, two coaches who won the Champions League, were among the names on the shortlists for the FIFA Best Coach award on Wednesday. They are competing to be named the world’s best coach in 2023.
Last season, Guardiola led Manchester City to three trophies. He is one of three candidates for the FIFA Best Coach award for men’s football, along with Simone Inzaghi and Luciano Spalletti.
Inzaghi led Inter Milan to the final of the Champions League, where they lost to City. Spalletti became the first manager to win the Serie A title for Napoli in 33 years.
Giraldez is in the running for the Best Coach award in women’s football. Her team, Barcelona, won the Spanish league and then the European title by beating Chelsea in the quarterfinals.
Emma Hayes, coach of Chelsea, and Sarina Wiegman, coach of the England team that lost the Women’s World Cup final to Spain, are both in the running. Hayes’ team won both the English League and the Cup.
A group of five original candidates, including national team leaders and coaches, as well as journalists and fans from around the world, voted on both shortlists of three coaches.
The award show takes place in London on January 15.
