Best FIFA Football awards nominees unveiled

TOP THREE…Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah.

THE Best FIFA Men’s Player nominees have been unveiled with two new-comers along with current holder Cristiano Ronaldo in the line for the prestigious award.

Lionel Messi has been excluded from the podium of the top prize at FIFA’s The Best awards after the final shortlist was revealed by FIFA. The Best Men’s Player will not be won by the FC Barcelona captain this year and it’s the first time since 2006 he fails to make the top-three nominees.

Despite an incredible individual campaign for the Blaugrana, he failed to lift the UEFA Champions League or inspire his country to World Cup glory. Instead, the award will be won by one of the following: Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah.

Modric, 32, already walked away with the UEFA Mens Player of the Year award – in which his former teammate Ronaldo snubbed the event due to his alleged ‘anger’ of missing out on the top prize. Messi was part of the initial top 10 nominees, with Kevin De Bruyne, Raphael Varane, Antoine Greizmann, Eden Hazard, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe all set to join him in failing to make the cut.

The Best announcement in full according to the FIFA official website:

Men’s Player:

Cristiano Ronaldo (POR/Juventus, formerly Real Madrid)
Luka Modric (CRO/Real Madrid)
Mohamed Salah (EGY/Liverpool)

Women’s Player:

Ada Hegerberg (NOR/Olympique Lyon Feminin)
Dzsenifer Marozsan (GER/Olympique Lyon Feminin)
Marta (BRA/Orlando Pride)

Men’s Coach:

Zlatko Dalic (CRO/Croatia national team)
Didier Deschamps (FRA/France national team)
Zinedine Zidane (FRA/formerly Real Madrid)

Women’s Coach:

Reynald Pedros (FRA/Olympique Lyon Feminin)
Asako Takakura (JPN/Japan women’s national team)
Sarina Wiegman (NED/Netherlands women’s national team)

Goalkeeper:

Thibaut Courtois (BEL/Real Madrid, formerly Chelsea)
Hugo Lloris (FRA/Tottenham Hotspur)
Kasper Schmeichel (DEN/Leicester City)

Puskas Award:

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)
Denis Cheryshev (Russia)
Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (AEK Athens)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Cruzeiro)
Riley McGree (Newcastle Jets)
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Benjamin Pavard (France)
Ricardo Quaresma (Portugal)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) 

kickoff.com