The Best FIFA Football Awards: Messi and Mbappe nominated; Ronaldo misses out

• Image Credit: Google

• Jan 13, 2023 | Dhupali Das

The Portuguese superstar, who has twice won the prestigious FIFA The Best award in 2016 and 2017, unfortunately, did not make the cut this year... 

Digital Desk: FIFA announced the list of players in contention for the prestigious FIFA Best Football Awards on Thursday, (January 12), with seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi leading the pack. The Argentinian superstar, who finally earned a World Cup winners' medal last month, is joined by his Paris Saint-Germain teammates Kylian Mbappe of France and Neymar Jr. of Brazil. PSG's right-back Achraf Hakimi is also in the running, along with 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema and nine other elite players. Unfortunately, Cristiano Ronaldo was not included on the list.

The 37-year-old former Manchester United star, who just signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, did not make the 14-man shortlist following a largely forgettable season in Qatar. During Portugal's two knockout matches, he was relegated to the bench and only scored one goal.

The Portuguese superstar, who has twice won the prestigious FIFA The Best award in 2016 and 2017, unfortunately, did not make the cut this year. However, his long-time rival Lionel Messi has been included in the list and is the favorite to take home the prize.

The other players shortlisted for the Best Men's Player Award are Messi's Argentine teammate Julian Alvarez, who scored four times in Qatar; England's Jude Bellingham; Belgium and Manchester City's attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne; Erling Haland, Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mane, Luka Modric, Mohamed Salah, and Vinicius Jr., along with the four previously mentioned.

Sarina Wiegman, who guided England to the European Championship title last year, is joined on the shortlist for The Best FIFA Women's Coach by Chelsea's Emma Hayes and Germany manager Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.

Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester City's Pep Guardiola are up for the men's title, along with Argentina's Scaloni, France's Didier Deschamps, and Morocco's Walid Regragui. These renowned instructors have all achieved tremendous success in their respective fields, and their recognition is a testament to their hard work and dedication.

In terms of the Puskas Award, which celebrates the best goal of the year, Brazilian striker Richarlison's breathtaking score against Serbia in the Selecao's FIFA World Cup opening and Kylian Mbappé's dramatic late equaliser against Argentina in the final are among the twelve-goal shortlist.