FIFA on November 25 announced that star footballers Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Juventus) and Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona) have been shortlisted for the Best FIFA Men’s Player category for 2020.
The international football's governing body announced today the names of players shortlisted for seven of the individual trophies that will be presented at The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony, scheduled for December 17, 2020.
Two expert panels – one for women’s football and men’s football each – have shortlisted the candidates for the Best FIFA Football Awards 2020.
Ronaldo and Messi are former winners. Ronaldo had won in 2016 and 2017, while Messi had won the award in 2019. Messi has so far won the FIFA Football Awards (formerly known as FIFA World Player of the Year) six times, while Ronaldo has won it five times.
Notably, the list, which includes Mohamed Salah and Neymar, will be trimmed further and the names of the three finalists will be announced on December 11. Public voting will be open until December 9.
Listed below are the other players who have been nominated in the men’s category:
Thiago Alcantara (Spain, Liverpool), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium, Manchester City), Robert Lewandowski (Poland, Bayern Munich), Sadio Mane (Senegal, Liverpool), Kylian Mbappe (France, Paris St-Germain), Neymar (Brazil, Paris St-Germain), Sergio Ramos (Spain, Real Madrid), Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands, Liverpool).