Messi, Mbappe, Haaland shortlisted for FIFA The Best Player award

FIFA has announced the finalists for The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s Player, and the FIFA Puskás Award for the 2023 edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards™.

The finalists for The Best FIFA Women’s Player are (in alphabetical order):

• Aitana Bonmatí              (Spain / FC Barcelona)
• Linda Caicedo                (Colombia / Deportivo Cali Femenino / Real Madrid CF)
• Jennifer Hermoso          (Spain / CF Pachuca Femenil)

The award recognises women’s football’s outstanding performer between 1 August 2022 to 20 August 2023, the date of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ final.

A total of 16 players were initially nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s Player award, having been chosen by a panel of experts. From this shortlist, the three finalists have been selected by an international jury comprising: women’s national team coaches, women’s national team captains, football journalists, and fans who voted on FIFA’s official website.

The finalists for The Best FIFA Men’s Player, recognising the most outstanding performers in the men’s game from the period of 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023 are (in alphabetical order):

• Erling Haaland               (Norway / Manchester City FC)
• Kylian Mbappé               (France / Paris Saint-Germain)
• Lionel Messi                  (Argentina / Paris Saint-Germain / Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami)

A total of 12 players were initially nominated for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award, having been chosen by a panel of experts. As per their female counterparts, from this shortlist, the three finalists have been selected by an international jury comprising: men’s national team coaches, men’s national team captains, football journalists, and fans from all over the world registered on FIFA.com.

FIFA has also announced the three finalists for FIFA Puskás Award. The finalists are (in alphabetical order):

• Julio Enciso                      (Paraguay / Brighton & Hove Albion FC)
• Guilherme Madruga         (Brazil / Botafogo Futebol Clube)
• Nuno Santos                    (Portugal / Sporting CP)

The prize is named after legendary Hungarian striker Ferenc Puskás and was last won by Polish Amputee footballer Marcin Oleksy’s bicycle kick.

A total of 11 goals were initially nominated for this edition of the FIFA Puskás Award. From this shortlist, the three finalists have been selected by fans who voted on FIFA’s official website, as well as expert panellists.

Julio Enciso’s goal was a thunderbolt right-foot strike from 25 yards. Guilherme Madruga executed a superb overhead kick from outside the area, while Nuno Santos makes the final three for his audacious left-foot rabona.

The winners of each respective award will be revealed at a London ceremony on Monday 15 January 2024. Next month’s ceremony will mark the third time that FIFA has held The Best FIFA Football Awards in London, after the 2017 and 2018 award ceremonies were staged in the city.

How were The Best FIFA Women’s Player Award and The Best Men’s Player Award finalists determined?

• From the respective shortlists, each voter made their first, second and third choices for the prize.
• Points were given to nominees depending on where they were placed (five points for first, three for second and one for third).
• Nominated national team captains could not vote for themselves.
• Selections from the four voting groups – coaches, captains, journalists, and fans – each counted for 25 per cent of the total vote, irrespective of the number of voters from each group.
• The Best FIFA Women’s Player Award and The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award will be presented to the individual with the most points.
• If finalists are tied on points, the award will be bestowed on the individual who has received the most first-choice selections.

How was the FIFA Puskás Award finalists determined?

• From the 11-goal shortlist, each voter made their first, second and third choices for the prize.
• Points were given to nominees depending on where they were placed (five points for first, three for second and one for third).
• Selections from the two voting groups – fans and expert panellists – each counted for 50 per cent of the total vote, irrespective of the number of voters from each group.
• The FIFA Puskás Award will be presented to the individual with the most points.
• If finalists are tied on points, the award will be bestowed on the individual who has received the most first-choice selections.

The voting procedure is supervised by independent observers and detailed in the Rules of Allocation .

Results will be published in full on FIFA.com following the awards ceremony on 15 January 2024.

Credit: FIFA