FIFA THE BEST
Ligue 1 stars and Frenchman are finalists for Fifa’s best player award
Two players of French Ligue 1 side, Paris St. Germaine who were also World Cup finalists as well as another Frenchman in the Spanish La Liga are the three finalists for the Fifa’s The Best Award holding later this month.
World Cup winner Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema were announced on Friday as the three finalists for Fifa’s The Best award for last year.
Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas of Spain, England forward Beth Mead and US star Alex Morgan were nominated for the top women’s prize.
Paris Saint-Germain team-mates Messi and Mbappe, who faced each other in last year’s World Cup final, are competing along with Benzema to succeed Robert Lewandowski, winner of the Fifa award in 2020 and 2021.
Benzema won last year’s Ballon d’Or for his performances with Real Madrid but missed the World Cup because of injury.
Barcelona and Spain midfielder Putellas won the women’s award last time and is nominated again despite being out since July after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.
Arsenal striker Beth Mead, runner-up to Putellas for the Ballon d’Or in October, is also currently sidelined with a long-term knee injury.
The winners will be revealed on Feb 27 in Paris. They will be voted for by a jury made up of national team coaches and captains as well as journalists and fans.
There are also prizes for the best male and female coach, the best goalkeeper, and the Puskas Award for the best goal of 2022.
Nigerian journalist, Oluwashina Okeleji who voted under the Nigerian banner as a media practitioner in the FIFA The Best election is one of the few who got a perfect voting pattern.
His deep knowledge of the game is reflected in his vote which came as a perfect mark.
He voted this way:
- 1.Vinicious Jr., 2. Rodri, 3. Jude Bellingham
Okeleji has since 2004 been reporting for the BBC World Service Radio and Television (Focus on Africa Sport) and writes regularly for the BBC African Football website.
He also contributes to World Soccer magazine and Al Jazeera English (Sport). He is a multiple-ward winner.
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Brazil and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr has been named FIFA Men’s Player after voting was conducted with fans, national coaches, and captains forming the electoral college.
Nigerians may wish to know how their coaches and captain voted. Coach Augustine Owen Eguavoen voted as follows:
- Lionel Messi, 2. Vinícius Jr, 3. Rodri.
Messi, Eguavoen’s first choice did not make the top three. He placed sixth overall.
The Super Eagles captain, William Troost Ekong’s voting sheet reveals he voted this way:
1. Jude Bellingham, 2. Vinícius Jr, 3. Rodri
He nearly had a perfect scoring as the trio made the top three, but Bellingham finished third.
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After controversially missing being named this year’s Ballon d’Or winner,Brazil and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr was named FIFA Men’s player of the Year in Doha on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old scored 24 goals in 39 appearances across all competitions to help Real Madrid clinch the LaLiga and Champions League double. He also scored in the final win over Borussia Dortmund.
The Brazilian won the award ahead of Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri and his teammate at Real, England’s Jude Bellingham.
The 24-year-old, who narrowly missed out on the Ballon d’Or to Rodri in October, was in Doha to collect the award, with Real in Qatar for Wednesday’s FIFA Intercontinental Cup final against Mexico’s Pachuca.
“It seemed impossible when I played barefoot in the streets of Sao Goncalo and now I’m here,” Vinicius said.
Bonmati retained the FIFA women’s Player of the Year award ahead of Zambia’s Barbra Banda and Norway’s Caroline Graham Hansen, having also won the women’s Ballon d’Or for the second consecutive year in October.
The 26-year-old helped her club to a domestic treble last season in a campaign in which Barca also retained the Champions League, and Bonmati scored in the semi-final and final when Spain won the Nations League in February.
“I’m very grateful for this award, but I always say that this is a team effort, with a Barca that won everything and the national team,” Bonmati said.
Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti won the best men’s coach award after the Italian led his club to the league and Champions League double last season.
“I want to share this with the club, with my president and with my players, those of the best club in the world,” Ancelotti said.
-Reuters
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