Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Rúben Dias and Bruno Fernandes have been nominated for the Best Player of 2023 award by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
The four Portuguese are part of a list of 25 players. The Manchester City midfielder and the Manchester United midfielder will also compete for the trophy for best midfielder of the year, a category that also includes Benfica player Di María.
Porto’s Diogo Costa is a candidate for the best goalkeeper in the world on a list that includes Donnarumma, Oblak, Emiliano Martínez, Alisson, Ederson, Courtois, Ter Stegen and Maignan.
In the youth category (Under-20), António Silva (Benfica) and Diomande (Sporting) compete against each other for the prize and are led by Jude Bellingham, Gavi, Musiala, Xavi Simons, Endrick, etc…
Among the coaches, Luís Castro is the only Portuguese representative on a list that surprisingly forgets Abel Ferreira, having just become a two-time champion of the Brasileirão. Rui Vitória (Egypt) and Roberto Martínez (Portugal) are among the nominees for best coach.
Finally, Artur Soares Dias is among the nominees for the best referee in the world in 2023. Internationally since 2010, the referee of the Porto Football Association is part of a list of 25 jury members.
The winners will be announced on January 1, 2024. The award is organized by the IFFHS and the jury consists of members of the organization (journalists and football experts) from 120 countries.
Source: DN
