Today awarded The Best FIFA
Forwards Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe are the last three male players to compete for the highest individual award of the World Football Federation.
FIFA selected the nomination of The Best player this time based on the performance from August 2021 to the end of December 2022. During this period, Messi scored 45 goals and assisted 34 times in 74 matches, won the World Cup and Intercontinental Super Cup with Argentina, Ligue 1 and the French Super Cup with PSG. The Argentina captain also won the 2022 World Cup Golden Ball award.
In the same period, Benzema scored 56 goals and assisted 17 times in 68 matches, won the Champions League, La Liga, Spanish Super Cup and European Super Cup with Real Madrid, besides the UEFA Nations League with France. He was also UEFA's best player in Europe last season, winning the Champions League Golden Shoe, Pichichi and La Liga's Best Player.
Mbappe's goalscoring record is most impressive with 77 goals and 32 assists in 83 matches, winning Ligue 1 with PSG and the Nations League with France. The 24-year-old striker also received the Gold Shoe, the World Cup Silver Ball, the Ligue 1 Golden Shoe and the Nations League Finals.
Benzema used to have no opponent in the race to win the 2022 Golden Ball, when the achievement was counted only in the 2021-2022 season. But The Best adds the second half of 2022, including the World Cup - where Messi and Mbappe both shine.
Messi won The Best in 2019. If he wins this year, he will equal the record of Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski. The other winner is Luka Modric in 2018.
Ronaldo is not on the list of 14 candidates for The Best award announced by FIFA from January 12. This is the first time he has not been shortlisted for candidates since FIFA held the election in 2016. This comes from a failed year of the Portuguese striker. In the 2021-2022 season, he and Man Utd fell to sixth in the English Premier League, and were eliminated from the 1/8 round of the Champions League. Ronaldo also did not play well when the Portuguese team stopped in the quarterfinals of the World Cup 2022 - the tournament where he contributed only one goal from the penalty spot.
Besides the decline in achievements, Ronaldo also caused many big problems off the pitch. He reacted negatively when he was pushed to the bench, then publicly condemned Man Utd and coach Ten Hag. On November 24, Ronaldo and Man Utd agreed to terminate the contract six months early. The Portuguese striker then moved to Saudi Arabia to play for Al Nassr club.
The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 includes 11 categories: Best Women's Player, Best Men's Player, Best Women's Coach, Best Men's Coach, Best Women's Goalkeeper, Best Men's Goalkeeper, Women's Team of the Year , Men's Team of the Year, Fair Play Award, Goal of the Year, Fan Award.
FIFA The Best Men's Player of the Year Award voted by the international jury. Each federation selects a head coach, team captain and a journalist on this council. Based on 11 nominations, the panel will choose the best player.
Vietnamese audiences can watch the awards ceremony live on FPT Television.
- Men's players: Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe - Women's players: Alexia Putellas, Beth Mead, Alex Morgan Men's goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou, Emiliano Martinez, Thibaut Courtois Women's goalkeepers: Ann-Katrin Berger, Mary Earps, Christiane Endler Men's coach: Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola, Lionel Scaloni - Women's team coach: Sonia Bompastor, Pia Sundhage, Sarina Wiegman - Beautiful goals: Dimitri Payet, Richarlison, Marcin Oleksy
