World Cup finalists Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Kylian Mbappe (France) have been nominated for FIFA’s Best awards while Christiano Ronaldo is a notable omission from the list.
The list of candidates for the 2022 award has been released by FIFA on Thursday night where Messi and Mbappe feature alongside Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and Neymar in the Best FIFA Men’s Player category.
Julian Alvarez also joined teammate Messi among the nominees in the 14-member list. Alvarez, playing his first World Cup, scored four goals while skipper Messi topped the scoring charts for his country with seven goals in Argentina’s first World Cup triumph in 36 years.
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Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti, France’s Didier Deschamps, and Argentina’s World Cup-winning manager Lionel Scaloni are nominated for best Men’s Coach. Morocco’s Walid Regragui also features on the shortlist after his side became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semifinal.
England’s Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, and Keira Walsh are nominated in the Women’s Best Player category.
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Champions League winner Thibaut Courtois are among the five nominees for The Best Men’s Goalkeeper.
Mbappe’s late equalizer and Alessia Russo’s goal in England’s Euro 2022 semifinal win over Sweden are among the 12-goal list of nominees for the FIFA Puskas Award for the best goal of the year.
Two expert panels – one for women’s football and one for men’s football – selected the candidates for the players’, goalkeepers’, and coaches’ categories.
The three finalists in each of the seven categories will be announced by FIFA in early February 2023.
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