Fifa Best top three revealed as Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski shortlisted for 2022 prize
Lewandowski is in contention to defend last year’s award, while Alexia Putellas, Jennifer Hermoso and Sam Kerr are the final nominees for the women’s prize
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Your support makes all the difference.Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski have been announced as the final three nominees for the Fifa Best Awards men’s player of the year.
Bayern Munich and Poland striker Lewandowski was the winner of last year’s award while Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina star Messi was the winner of the 2021 Ballon D’Or prize in December.
Although Messi was the favourite to win a seventh Ballon D’Or after leading Argentina to the Copa America, his first international honour, the 34-year-old claimed Lewandowski “deserved” to win the award after a record-breaking goalscoring campaign for Bayern in the Bundesliga.
They are joined in the top three by Liverpool and Egypt forward Salah, who is the Premier League’s top scorer this season with 16 goals in 20 appearances. Salah finished seventh in Ballon D’Or voting last month, with Jorginho, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Cristiano Ronaldo all receiving more votes.
Barcelona stars Alexia Putellas and Jennifer Hermoso and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr were revealed as the final three nominees for the women’s prize. Putellas was announced as the winner of the women’s Ballon D’Or in December after playing a starring role in Barcelona’s dominant treble last season.
The winners will be revealed at the Fifa Best Awards ceremony on Monday 17 January.
Italy’s Euro 2020 winning manager Roberto Mancini was joined by Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel on the shortlist for men’s coach.
England manager Sarina Wiegman and Chelsea’s Emma Hayes were shortlisted for women’s coach, along with former Barcelona boss Lluís Cortés.
The shortlist for men’s goalkeeper is made up by Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy, PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer, while Chelsea’s Ann-Katrin Berger is joined by Stephanie Lynn Marie Labbé and Christiane Endler are the final three players up for women’s goalkeeper.
Erik Lamela, Patrik Schick and Mehdi Taremi are the final nominees for the Puskas Award for goal of the year.
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