Messi, Mbappe to fight for FIFA Best Men’s Player award

ByAsad Sial January 14, 2023August 12, 2025

Messi, Mbappe to fight for Fifa Best Men's Player award

FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar finalists Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have been nominated for the FIFA Best Men’s Player 2022 Award.

Messi, along with Paris St Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, were among 14 players shortlisted for The Best Fifa Men’s Player award, the world governing body said on Thursday.

Joining the trio are last year’s winner Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona, Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and PSG’s Neymar and Achraf Hakimi.

Karim Benzema, from Real Madrid, winner of the 2022 Ballon d’Or, is also on the shortlist.

Barca and Arsenal dominate the women’s prize with three players each, including Alexia Putellas, Keira Walsh and Aitana Bonmati, for the Spanish champions, while the English side are represented by Leah Williamson, Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead.

Putellas makes the shortlist despite missing much of last year due to a knee ligament injury.

Chelsea duo Sam Kerr and Jessie Fleming and Olympique Lyonnais’ Ada Hegerberg and Wendie Renard are also in the cut.

Sarina Wiegman, who led England to the European Championship title last year, joins The Best Fifa Women’s Coach shortlist with Chelsea’s Emma Hayes and Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola are nominated for the men’s award, along with Argentina’s Scaloni, France manager Didier Deschamps and Morocco manager Walid Regragui.

Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Aston Villa’s Martinez are among the nominees for The Best Fifa Men’s Goalkeeper award.

FIFA said it will announce the three finalists in each category in early February.

FIFA also announced a shortlist of 11 players for this year’s Puskas Award for the “most beautiful” goal of the year, with Mbappé’s spectacular volley against Argentina in the World Cup final among the nominees.

Asad Sial

Asad Sial is the founder and chief editor of SialNews.com, a trusted digital platform delivering the latest news, insightful analysis, and trending stories from Pakistan, the United States, and around the world. With years of experience in SEO-driven journalism and digital media, Asad focuses on publishing high-quality, fact-checked, and engaging content that keeps readers informed and inspired. His mission is to make Sial News a reliable source for tech, business, sports, and global affairs.