Soccer

Ronaldo, Messi among shortlist for Best FIFA Men's Player award

The 24 nominees for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award were announced Thursday.

The list will be whittled down to three final nominees by votes from national team coaches, international captains, select media, and fans. The voting closes Sept. 7, with the ceremony taking place Oct. 23 in London.

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo is a clear favourite to collect the prize, but his adversary at Barcelona, Lionel Messi, is also in contention for the gong in a shortlist comprised entirely of players who plied their trade in Europe last season.

The inaugural Best FIFA Football Awards show was held in Zurich in 2016, with Ronaldo taking top honours in the men’s category. Carli Lloyd was named Best FIFA Women’s Player, and former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri beat Zinedine Zidane to the coaches’ accolade.

Here are the 24 contenders for The Best FIFA Men’s Player distinction:

  • Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund)
  • Leonardo Bonucci (AC Milan)
  • Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
  • Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid)
  • Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
  • Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
  • Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
  • Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic (unattached)
  • Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
  • Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
  • N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
  • Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
  • Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
  • Marcelo (Real Madrid)
  • Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
  • Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
  • Keylor Navas (Real Madrid)
  • Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)
  • Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
  • Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
  • Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
  • Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
  • Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich)