FIFA will present the best 2022 awards tonight at a ceremony in Paris and Lionel Messi emerges as the firm favorite to win the trophy for the best player in the world, after winning the World Cup in Qatar and being elected best player in the league. The other nominees are Kylian Mbappé, defeated finalist in the World Cup final, but top scorer of the tournament, and Karim Benzema, who has the Champions League as his biggest achievement.
Few would take any bet other than the Argentine striker’s victory, as winning the World Cup seems too valid an argument for the two French players to dream of winning the prize. If Messi is declared the winner, it will be the second The Best of his career, after winning the 2019 edition. It would be a debut for Mbappé and Benzema.
Messi will thus be able to match the number of The Best trophies of Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the FIFA award in the 2016 editions (with 34.54% of the vote, ahead of Messi and Griezmann) and 2017 (43, 16%, surpassing Messi and Neymar). ). The last two editions were won by the Pole Robert Lewandowsky.
FIFA’s The Best award was created in 2016. For the past six years, the organization that rules world football has partnered with France Football magazine and they were both responsible for the Ballon d’Or, a trophy that is still awarded annually , but now only the responsibility of the renowned French magazine.
Where in the Ballon d’Or the votes come from journalists from all over the world, in The Best the supporters, journalists, coaches and captains of the national teams have their say. Each vote for three players. The three most voted automatically become the finalists and the most voted the winner. The period considered is what they did between August 8, 2021 and December 18, 2022.
Scaloni and Martinez…
But more awards will be handed out tonight, starting with the best coach. And in this category the favorite is Lionel Scaloni, who led Argentina to the title of world champion. The other finalists are Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid) and Pep Guardiola (Manchester City).
The ceremony thus promises to crown several Argentines, as in the category of best goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez appears as the main candidate, rival Yassine Bounou (Morocco) and Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid).
The Puskas Prize will also be awarded today, which will distinguish the best goal. The three nominees are Brazil international Richarlyson, for the goal against Serbia at the World Cup, Frenchman Dimitri Payet, from Marseille, with a goal aimed at PAOK, and Marcin Oleksy, a Polish player, with a goal in adapted football, for amputee players .
In women’s football, the three candidates for best players are the English Beth Mead, the North American Alex Morgan and the Spanish Alexia Putellas, winner of the last edition. And in the best goalkeeper category, the finalists are the German Ann-Katrin Berger, the English Mary Earps and the Chilean Christiane Endler.
The best female football coach will also be awarded, in a duel between Sweden’s Pia Sundhage, coach Brazil, Sonia Bompastor (Lyon) and Sarina Wiegman, coach of the England national team.
Source: DN
