Messi, Haaland And Mbappé Headline FIFA The Best Men’s Player Nominees
FIFA has announced the 12-player shortlist for its The Best Men’s Player award, with Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé leading the pack of contenders. The winner will be revealed at a ceremony in Zurich on December 6.
Messi, who moved to Inter Miami from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, is aiming to win the award for a record third time after being crowned the best player in the world in 2019 and 2022. The Argentina captain also led his country to their first World Cup title since 1986 at Qatar 2022, scoring six goals and providing four assists in the tournament.
Haaland, who joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in January, is Messi’s main rival for the award after a sensational season that saw him score 52 goals in all competitions as Pep Guardiola’s side completed a historic treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. The Norway international also won the European Golden Shoe and the Champions League Golden Boot.
Mbappé, who stayed at Paris Saint-Germain despite interest from Real Madrid, is the third favourite for the award after another prolific campaign that saw him score 42 goals and provide 18 assists in all competitions. The France forward also helped his country reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, where they lost to eventual champions Argentina.
The other nine players on the shortlist are Julián Álvarez (River Plate and Argentina), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan and Croatia), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City and Belgium), Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City and Germany), Rodri (Manchester City and Spain), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Rubin Kazan and Georgia), Victor Osimhen (Napoli and Nigeria), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City and Portugal) and Declan Rice (Chelsea and England).
Rice, who captained West Ham United to Europa Conference League glory before joining Chelsea in August, is the only player on the list who did not play in the World Cup. He is also the only English player nominated for the award.
The shortlist was decided by a panel of experts composed of former players and coaches, as well as representatives from FIFA’s member associations. The voting process will be open to national team coaches, captains, journalists and fans until mid-October on FIFA.com.
The winner will be announced at a gala event in Zurich on December 6, along with the winners of other awards such as The Best Women’s Player, The Best Men’s Coach, The Best Women’s Coach, The Best Men’s Goalkeeper, The Best Women’s Goalkeeper, The FIFA Puskás Award, The FIFA Fair Play Award and The FIFA Fan Award.
