FIFA THE BEST
Osimhen shortlisted for FIFA The Best, the second of projected three nominations
Trail-blazing Victor Osimhen has become the first Nigeria male footballer to be shortlisted for he Best FIFA Men’s Player Award. It is the second time within few days that he has been put on the shortlist of major football award.
Recently, he was in the shortlist for the Balon d’Or and he will be an obvious nominee for the African Footballer of the Year.
Also on the shortlist are the usual suspects – Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. Spain’s Aitana Bonmati is among the nominees for the Best Women’s Player on the back of winning the Golden Ball at the World Cup.
Half of the dozen nominees in the men’s category were part of Manchester City’s 2022-23 treble-winning squad, while City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola is nominated for Best Men’s Coach.
Spain’s World Cup win sees four of their players among the 16 nominees for the women’s award. World Cup runners-up England have four players on the list, with Sarina Wiegman up for the women’s coaching award, while Australia have three players.
World Cup winners Messi of Argentina and Spain’s Alexia Putellas are the current holders of the top player awards.
The nominees were shortlisted by a panel of soccer experts that included retired players Mia Hamm and Didier Drogba
Voting for the eighth annual awards opened on Thursday on FIFA.com and closes in mid-October. National team coaches, captains, journalists and fans make up the list of voters.
FIFA Men’s Player Nominees
- Julián Álvarez(Argentina / Manchester City FC)
- Marcelo Brozović(Croatia / FC Internazionale Milano /Al Nassr FC);
- Kevin De Bruyne(Belgium / Manchester City FC);
- İlkay Gündoğan(Germany / Manchester City FC /FC Barcelona);
- Erling Haaland(Norway / Manchester City FC);
- Rodrigo(Rodri)
- Hernández Cascante(Spain / Manchester City FC);
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia(Georgia / SSC Napoli);
- Kylian Mbappé(France / Paris Saint-Germain);
- Lionel Messi(Argentina / Paris Saint-Germain /Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami);
- Victor Osimhen(Nigeria / SSC Napoli);
- Declan Rice(England / West Ham United FC /Arsenal FC);
- Bernardo Silva(Portugal / Manchester City FC)
The Best FIFA Women’s Player Nominees
- AitanaBonmatí (Spain / FC Barcelona)
- Linda Caicedo(Colombia / Real Madrid CF)
- Rachel Daly(England / Aston Villa Ladies FC)
- Kadidiatou Diani(France / Olympique Lyonnais / Paris Saint-Germain prior to Aug 2023);
- Caitlin Foord(Australia / Arsenal WFC);
- Mary Fowler (Australia / Manchester City WFC);
- Alex Greenwood(England / Manchester City WFC);
- Jennifer Hermoso(Spain / CF Pachuca Femenil);
- Lindsey Horan(USA / Olympique Lyonnais);
- Amanda Ilestedt(Sweden / Arsenal WFC / Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) prior to June 2023);
- Lauren James(England / Chelsea FC);
- Sam Kerr(Australia / Chelsea FC);
- Mapi León(Spain / FC Barcelona);
- Hinata Miyazawa(Japan / Mynavi Sendai);
- Salma Paralluelo(Spain / FC Barcelona);
- Keira Walsh(England / FC Barcelona).
The Best FIFA Women’s Coach Nominees
- Peter Gerhardsson(Sweden):
- Jonatan Giráldez(Spain / FC Barcelona);
- Tony Gustavsson (Sweden / Australia)
- Emma Hayes(England / Chelsea FC);
- Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands / England).
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Nominees
- Pep Guardiola(Spain / Manchester City FC);
- Simone Inzaghi(Italy/ FC Internazionale Milano);
- Ange Postecoglou (Australia / Celtic FC /Tottenham Hotspur);
- Luciano Spalletti (Italy /SSC Napoli);
- Xavi (Spain / FC Barcelona).
The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper Nominees
- Mackenzie Arnold (Australia / West Ham United FC);
- Ann-Katrin Berger(Germany / Chelsea FC);
- Catalina Coll (Spain / FC Barcelona);
- Mary Earps(England / Manchester United);
- Christiane Endler (Chile / Olympique Lyonnais);
- Zećira Mušović (Sweden / Chelsea FC);
- Sandra Paños García-Villamil (Spain / FC Barcelona).
The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper Nominees
- Yassine Bounou (Morocco / Sevilla FC);
- Thibaut Courtois(Belgium / Real Madrid CF);
- Ederson(Brazil / Manchester City FC);
- André Onana(Cameroon / FC Internazionale Milano /Manchester United FC);
- Marc-André ter Stegen(Germany / FC Barcelona).
The FIFA Fan Award Nominees
- Club Atlético Colón de Santa Fe fan(Argentina);
- Fran Hurndall(England);
- Miguel Ángel,Millonarios fan (Colombia).
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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