Football’s leading authority, FIFA, has announced the nominees for its flagship award ceremony – The Best Footballer of the Year – which will take place in January 2022. Ballon d’Or favorites Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski are the leading candidates.
FIFA has announced the nominees for ‘The Best’ awards for a period ranging from October 8, 2020, to August 7, 2021. The award ceremony will take place in Zurich on January 17, 2022, where awards in seven categories will be handed out: Men’s Footballer of the Year, Women’s Footballer of the Year, Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year, Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year, Men’s Coach of the Year, Women’s Coach of the Year, and the Best Goal (Puskas Award).
Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski – the two favorites for this year’s Ballon d’Or – lead a list of 11 candidates in the Men’s category. Jorginho and N’Golo Kante are also on the list following a successful UEFA Champions League campaign, as is their teammate Eduoard Mendy, albeit on the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year. Thomas Tuchel, who led the Blues to a famous win makes the shortlist for Coach of the Year, alongside compatriots Jurgen Klopp and Hansi Flick, among others.
Chelsea and Barcelona’s Women’s Football Team are well represented in their respective categories; members of the two teams can be found in the Footballer of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, and Coach of the Year shortlist.
Public voting and panels will trim down the list to three finalists, and the winner in each category will be declared in Zurich in mid-January.
Best FIFA men’s player
Karim Benzema (France / Real Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium / Manchester City FC), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal / Juventus / Manchester United), Erling Haaland (Norway / Borussia Dortmund), Jorginho (Italy / Chelsea), N’Golo Kante (France / Chelsea), Robert Lewandowski (Poland / FC Bayern Munich), Kylian Mbappe (France / Paris Saint-Germain), Lionel Messi (Argentina / FC Barcelona / Paris Saint-Germain), Neymar (Brazil / Paris Saint-Germain), Mohamed Salah (Egypt / Liverpool FC)
Best FIFA women’s player nominees
