FIFA revealed the players shortlisted for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 on Thursday, January 12.
Among the notable names on the list include World Cup winner Lionel Messi, Paris Saint Germain ace Kylian Mbappe, Manchester City playmaker Kelvin de Bruyne, and Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski.
However, a notable name missing from the list is Portugal forward, Cristiano Ronaldo following his underwhelming display for Manchester United and the national team.
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While the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was snubbed, there is still a star-studded lineup of individuals in the run for the prestigious award organised by the world football governing body
Messi is a winner of the award and will hope to lift it again after he led Argentina to victory at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Mbappe also had a good World Cup outing in Qatar, scoring a hat-trick in the final. He is joined by other two Paris Saint-Germain teammates Neymar and Achraf Hakimi.
2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema is also a nominee for the award and two-time FIFA Best player (2021, 2022) Robert Lewandowski.
2021/2022 Premier League Champions Manchester City has Julian Alvarez, and Erling Haaland joining De Bruyne on the list.
Apart from Benzema Real Madrid has the pair of Luka Modric and Vinicius Junior nominated for the award.
Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund have each produced a single player on the list in Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Jude Bellingham respectively.
There are also prizes for the Best Female Player, Best Male and Female Coach, Best Goalkeeper, and the Puskas Award for the best goal of 2022.
One can vote via the FIFA website with the voting window open until February 3, when three finalists will be decided for each category.
The winner will be voted for by a jury made up of national team coaches and captains, journalists, and fans.
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