The Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is for the first time out of the nominations for The Best award, created in 2016, in a list that includes Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, FIFA reported on Thursday.
On the list of nominations, which will be reduced to three in each category until February 3, there are 14 nominees for the best footballer of 2022, including two world champions, Messi and Julián Álvarez.
Other highlights are for the world runner-up Mbappé -with France defeated by Argentina (3-3, 4-2 on penalties) in the 2022 World Cup, in Qatar-, and the Frenchman Karim Benzema, winner of the European and Golden Ball champion with Real Madrid, who missed the World Cup due to injury.
The Englishman Jude Bellingham, who was on trial in the 2022 World Cup, the Polish Robert Lewandowski, Golden Boot of the 2022/23 season, or the Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, who tops the list this season, are also among the nominees.
The Best has been awarded individually since 2016, in a period in which Cristiano Ronaldo (2016 and 2017), Luka Modric (2018), Lionel Messi (2019) and Robert Lewandowski (2020 and 2021) were the winners.
Between 2010 and 2015, the award was awarded simultaneously with the Ballon d’Or by France Football magazine, then with the FIFA Ballon d’Or designation, honoring Messi (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2013 and 2014) .
The captain of the Portuguese team is out of the finalists for the first time, after having won the trophy in 2016 and 2017, being second in 2018 and 2020, third in 2019 and last year having finished in seventh position.
In other categories for this year’s awards, in women’s, the Spanish Alexia Putellas (FC Barcelona), winner in 2021, is nominated again, in a list also of 14 players, with two European champions with England, Keira Walsh and Leah Williamson.
In coaches, the European champion with Lyon, Sónia Bompastor heads a group with the Dutch Sarina Wiegman, European champion with England, and in men’s Lionel Scaloni (Argentina) he is together with Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Walid Regragui or Didier Deschamps.
In goalkeepers, Thibaut Courtois and Emiliano Martínez stand out among five nominees, while in the same women’s category, the Chilean Christine Endler, winner in 2021, then at PSG, already as a Lyon player, is nominated again.
Other prizes to be awarded are for the best goal, the so-called Puskás prize, with 11 goals under analysis, and a distinction for the fans, to choose between the Saudi Abdullah Al Salmi, who traveled on foot from the city of Jeddah to those from Qatar, the fans of Argentina or Japan in the World Cup, the latter recognized for the civility shown, helping with the cleanup after the games.
Public voting on these lists, chosen by panels of experts, will be possible until February 3, after which FIFA will announce the three finalists in each of the seven categories.
– Candidates for the 2022 best footballer award:
Julian Alvarez, Argentina (River Plate/Manchester City)
Jude Bellingham, engineer (Borussia Dortmund)
Karim Benzema, Fra (Real Madrid)
Kevin De Bruyne, Bel (Manchester City)
Erling Haaland, Nor (Borussia Dortmund/Manchester City)
Achraf Hakimi, Mar (Paris Saint-Germain)
Robert Lewandowski, Pol (Bayern Munich/FC Barcelona)
Sadio Mané, Sen (Liverpool/Bayern Munich)
Kylian Mbappé, Fra (Paris Saint-Germain)
Lionel Messi, Argentina (Paris Saint-Germain)
Luka Modric, Cro (Real Madrid)
Neymar, Brazil (Paris Saint-Germain)
Mohamed Salah, Egi (Liverpool)
Vinicius Junior, Bra (Real Madrid)
– Candidates for the 2022 best footballer award:
Aitana Bonmatí, Esp (FC Barcelona)
Debinha, Bra (North Carolina Courage)
Jessie Fleming, Can (Chelsea)
Ada Hegerberg, Nor (Lyon)
Sam Kerr, Aus (Chelsea)
Beth Mead, Eng. (Arsenal)
Vivianne Miedema, Hol (Arsenal)
Alex Morgan, USA (Orlando Pride/San Diego Wave)
Lena Oberdorf, Ale (Wolfsburg)
Alexandra Popp, Ale (Wolfsburg)
Alexia Putellas, ESP (FC Barcelona)
Wendie Renard, Fra (Olympique de Lyon)
Keira Walsh, Eng. (Manchester City/ FC Barcelona)
Leah Williamson, Eng. (Arsenal)
– Candidates for the best coach award:
Carlo Ancelotti, Ita (Real Madrid)
Didier Deschamps, Fra (French national team)
Pep Guardiola, ESP (Manchester City)
Walid Regragui, Mar (Wydad/Moroccan national team)
Lionel Scaloni, Argentina (Argentine national team)
– Candidates for the best coach award:
Sonia Bompastor, Fra (Lyon)
Emma Hayes, Eng. (Chelsea)
Bev Priestman, Eng (Canada national team)
Pia Sundhage, Sue (Brazil national team)
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, Ale (Germany)
Sarina Wiegman, Hol (England national team)
– Candidates for the award for the best male goalkeeper:
Alisson Becker, bra (Liverpool)
Yassine Bounou, Mar (Seville)
Thibaut Courtois, Bel (Real Madrid)
Ederson, Bra (Manchester City)
Emiliano Martinez, Argentina (Aston Villa)
– Candidates for the award for the best goalkeeper:
Ann-Katrin Berger, Ale (Chelsea)
Mary Earps, England (Manchester United)
Christiane Endler, Chi (Lyon)
Merle Frohms, Ale (Eintracht/Wolfsburg)
Alyssa Naeher, USA (Chicago Red Stars)
Sandra Paños García-Villamil, ESP (FC Barcelona)
– Candidates for the best goal award (Puskas Award):
Mario Balotelli, Ita
Amandine Henry, Fra
Theo Hernandez, Fra
Alou Kuol, Australia
Kylian Mbappé, Fra
Francisco Gonzalez Metilli, Argentina
Marcin Oleksy, Pol
Salma Paralluelo, ESP
Dimitri Payet, Fra
Richarlison, Brazil
Alessia Russo, Eng.
– Candidates for the best fan award:
Abdullah Al Salmi, from Saudi Arabia, who walked from his country to Qatar, across the desert, to support his team in the 2022 World Cup.
Argentine fans who traveled en masse to Qatar to support the team in the World Cup and who celebrated the winning of the title in Buenos Aires and throughout the country.
Japan fans for the example they set by cleaning up litter in stadiums after their national team matches.
Source: TSF
