WORLD football governing body FIFA has shortlisted candidates for the different categories of its 2022 The Best Football Awards.
The shortlists for players’, goalkeepers’, coaches’, fans’ and best goal prizes were announced today by the body.
Among the nominees for The Best Men’s Player are Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Julian Alvarez, all of whom played in the Qatar 2022 World Cup final in December.
Also included in the 14-man shortlist are Karim Benzema, Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane and Robert Lewandowski.
Alexia Putellas, Sam Kerr and Alexandra Popp are included in The Best Women’s Player category, while Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola and World Cup winner Lionel Scaloni lead the nominations for men’s coaches.
FIFA said there will be public voting on their website until February 3 and explained that two expert panels selected the candidates for the players’, goalkeepers’ and coaches’ categories.
THE NOMINEES (in alphabetical order)
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 PUSKAS 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)
