The awards season will kick off with a bang in terms of football accolades, and FIFA are ready to begin with that by letting the world know the names of the players nominated to become The Best in 2023.
The list of players will be dominated by those who made a name for themselves in the FIFA World Cup, although club accomplishments were also taken under consideration to give a nod to some nominees. This year, and maybe unsurprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo is not on the list, leaving Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski to battle with younger players such as Kylian Mbappé, Julián Álvarez, Erling Haaland, and more.
Here is the list of men nominated to win the award.
#TheBest FIFA Men's Player Nominees:
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) January 12, 2023
Julián Álvarez
Jude Bellingham
Karim Benzema
Kevin De Bruyne
Erling Haaland
Achraf Hakimi
Vinícius Junior
Robert Lewandowski
Sadio Mané
Kylian Mbappé
Lionel Messi
Luka Modrić
Neymar
Mohamed Salah
The ceremony will also give out the award to the best coach of the recently concluded year. Lionel Scaloni will be there, but he will have some tough competition from some of the nominees.
#TheBest FIFA Men's Coach Nominees:
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) January 12, 2023
Coaches:
Carlo Ancelotti (@realmadrid)
Didier Deschamps (@equipedefrance)
Pep Guardiola (@ManCity)
Walid Regragui (@EnMaroc)
Lionel Scaloni (@Argentina)
Vote on FIFA+ https://t.co/vscVDT00KO
One of the awards that always gets the most attention is the Puskas Award for the Best Goal of the year. This time, players such as Mario Balotelli, Dimitri Payet, Kylian Mbappé and others will be opting to take the trophy home. Here is the full list of nominees.
FIFA Puskás nominees:
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) January 12, 2023
Balotelli v Göztepe
Henry v Barcelona
Hernández v Atalanta
Kuol v Iraq U23s
Mbappé v Argentina
Metilli v Rosario Central
Paralluelo v Barcelona
Richarlison v Serbia
Russo v Sweden
Oleksy v Stal Rzeszów
Payet v PAOK
Vote on FIFA+ https://t.co/fvDTVU4BSI
The Best Goalkeeper in the world will come from a list of elite players, which includes the winner of the UEFA Champions League and the infamous goalkeeper who overcelebrated Argentina's win in the FIFA World Cup, among others.
#TheBest FIFA Men's Goalkeeper Nominees:
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) January 12, 2023
Álisson Becker (@LFC)
Yassine Bounou (@SevillaFC)
Thibaut Courtois (@realmadrid)
Ederson (@ManCity)
Emiliano Martínez (@AVFCOfficial)
Vote on FIFA+ https://t.co/oiTvZ2TDeQ
Added to these awards, the Women's categories will also grace the gala with some of the top names in the women's football scenery. Here are the categories and the nominees for each award.
The Best FIFA Women's Player: Aitana Bonmatí (Spain), Debinha (Brazil), Jessie Fleming (Canada), Ada Hegerberg (Norway), Sam Kerr (Australia), Beth Mead (England), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands), Alex Morgan (USA), Lena Oberdorf (Germany), Alexandra Popp (Germany), Alexia Putellas (Spain), Wendie Renard (France), Keira Walsh (England), and Leah Williamson (England).
The Best FIFA Women's Coach: Sonia Bompastor, Emma Hayes, Bev Priestman, Pia Sundhage, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, Sarina Wiegman.
The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper: Christiane Endler, Ann-Katrin Berger, Mary Earps, Merle Frohms, Alyssa Naeher, Sandra Paños García-Villamil.