Five Liverpool stars are among the nominees for the 2020 Best FIFA Awards ahead of the ceremony, which takes place next month.
Ballon d’Or – France Football – organizers canceled the event in July because of the coronavirus pandemic, but that didn’t stop FIFA from listing its top 11 players of the calendar year.
The strikers Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are joined by Reds team-mates Thiago Alcantara and injured defender Virgil van Dijk in the Best FIFA Men’s Player category.
In the absence of this year’s Ballon d’Or, FIFA has announced its best FIFA awards
Virgil van Dijk is one of four Liverpool outfield players to be recognized at the FIFA Best Awards
The strikers Mohamed Salah (left) and Sadio Mane (center) also play for Jürgen Klopp
Thiago Alcantara, who is under contract in the summer, is the other star of the Reds who makes the cut for outfield players
Goalkeeper Alisson was also nominated as FIFA Men’s Best Goalkeeper and is recognized along with his teammates for his achievements.
The Brazilian was part of the squad, along with Mane, Salah and van Dijk, that helped Liverpool take their first Premier League title.
The Spanish international Thiago moved from Bayern Munich to Anfield in the summer after another outstanding season in Germany.
Teammate Alisson is the only Premier League goalkeeper named in this category
Lionel Messi has dominated the awards lately and the Barcelona star is nominated again
Cristiano Ronaldo has also won strong individual prizes and doesn’t make the cut surprising
Kevin De Bruyne is the only other Premier League star on the list. The Manchester City star was recognized after hitting Thierry Henry’s record for top-notch assists in 2019-20.
The Ballon d’Or has been dominated by Barcelona and Juventus stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and both players make the cut here.
Only Luka Modric is the only other player besides the couple who managed to win the Ballon d’Or between 2008 and today, but the Real Madrid midfielder failed to make the FIFA list on that occasion.
However, the recent dominance of Messi and Ronaldo is being questioned this year by Bayern Munich shooter Robert Lewandowski, who scored a whopping 55 goals in 47 games for the three-time winners last season.
The duo could also be challenged by Bayern Munich shooter Robert Lewandowski (right).
Sergio Ramos is the only Real Madrid outfield star to be shortlisted for 11 men
PSG have two reps with Kylian Mbappe (above) and Neymar making the cut
PSG stars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar are also on the list after leading Ligue 1 to the Champions League final, while Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos is the other household name.
In addition to Alisson, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Keylor Navas were also nominated in the men’s goalkeeper category.
The German shotstoppers Manuel Neuer and Marc-Andre ter Stegen from Bayern Munich and Barcelona were also recognized for their outstanding performances, while Atletico Madrid star Jan Oblak completes the list.
Manuel Neuer from Bayern Munich and Germany is one of six nominated men’s goalkeepers
Lionel Messi won last year’s award for the best FIFA player for men in Milan in September 2019
Well-known names are represented in the “Best FIFA Player for Women” category, including last year’s UEFA Player of the Year, Lucy Bronze. The Manchester City defender has played a major role for England and Lyon in recent years.
Chelsea, currently third in the women’s Super League, are also well represented. Pernille Harder, Ji So-yun and Australian striker Sam Kerr are nominated.
The only other England-based outfield player on the list is Arsenal star Vivianne Miedema, who won last season’s Golden Boot after scoring 16 league goals before the season was abandoned due to Covid-19.
There are two other representatives from Man City and Chelsea in the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper category, with Ann-Katrin Berger and Ellie Roebuck making the cut.
Lucy Bronze is among the prominent women soccer stars who have been nominated
Arsenal and Chelsea strikers Vivianne Miedema (left) and Sam Kerr (right) are also represented
The heads of the Premier League and last season’s championship, Jürgen Klopp and Marcelo Bielsa, are included in the award for best FIFA men’s coach.
Julen Lopetegui and Hansi Flick, who won the Europa League and Champions League with Sevilla and Bayern in 2019-20, are listed as well as Zinedine Zidane, who helped Real Madrid to a first La Liga title since 2017.
Sarina Wiegman, who will take over the management of the English lionesses from Phil Neville next year, belongs to the women’s coaching category, as does the title winner of the women’s Super League, Emma Hayes.
Tottenham star Son Heung-min is ready for the Puskas Prize after his incredible run and solo goal against Burnley, while Luis Suarez’s incredible rear-wheel chip is also nominated for Barcelona against Mallorca.
The winner of the FIFA Puskas Prize will be selected by an international jury.
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