Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappé are among the 12 players nominated for FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player award. Messi, who currently plays for MLS side Inter Miami, is aiming to secure his third win of the award, having previously won it in 2019 and 2022. He was instrumental in helping Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar 2022.
However, Messi faces stiff competition from Manchester City forward Erling Haaland, who had an outstanding season, scoring 52 goals as Manchester City clinched the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup titles. The other nominees for the award include Julián Álvarez, Marcelo Brozovic, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gündogan, Rodri, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen, and Bernardo Silva, along with Declan Rice.
Voting for the FIFA awards began on FIFA.com and will continue until mid-October. The voting panel includes national team coaches, captains, journalists, and fans. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony later in the year.
In the women’s category, Spain, who recently won the Women’s World Cup in Australia, has four players nominated: Aitana Bonmatí, Jenni Hermoso, Mapi León, and Salma Paralluelo. Other nominees include Linda Caicedo, Rachel Daly, Kadidiatou Diani, Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, Alex Greenwood, Amanda Ilestedt, Lauren James, Sam Kerr, Hinata Miyazawa, and Keira Walsh, with Lindsey Horan representing the United States on the shortlist.
