The Best FIFA Men’s Player: Who has been nominated?

12:40pm on Wednesday 25th November 2020
By Robin Bairner

The Best FIFA Men’s Player: Who has been nominated?

FIFA has announced the identities of the 11 players who have been shortlisted for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award in 2020.

With France Football having announced that the Ballon d’Or will not be held this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and the unusual circumstances that games were playing in as a consequence, this promises to be the individual title that players from around the world are craving to win.

There are nominations from Champions League winners Bayern Munich, runners-up Paris Saint-Germain and the Liverpool side that romped away to the Premier League, as well as some familiar faces from elsewhere.

The Best FIFA Men’s Players Nominees

Thiago Alcantara

Now of Liverpool, Thiago was the metronome at the heart of the Bayern Munich side that swept to the Bundesliga title then produced a succession of blistering performances on route to the Champions League title in Lisbon.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Even at the age of 35, Ronaldo continues to score prolifically. He netted 31 times as Juventus won Serie A last season, while he also became the first player in history to score 50 times in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A. In the early weeks of 2020/21, he has shown little let up.

Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City’s classy playmaker was named Premier League Player of the Year for the 2019/20 season, continuing a trend of the winner not coming from the team that wins the title. He equalled Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in a single season.

Robert Lewandowski

Scored at a prodigious rate throughout Bayern’s dominant season. Netted in every Champions League match he played up until the final. Unsurprisingly he finished as the competition’s top scorer – a feat he also achieved in the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal. Achieved numbers only previously managed by Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the modern era.

Sadio Mane

Considered to be one of the driving forces behind Liverpool’s success in the Premier League, the Senegal international attacker scored 18 goals and chipped in with seven more assists.

Kylian Mbappe

Outstanding in Ligue 1 for Paris Saint-Germain as he helped them to another title, he was diminished by injury in the Champions League Final 8 and was unable to perform to the best of his ability. Nevertheless, he made a decisive cameo against Atalanta in the quarter-finals.

Lionel Messi

A six-time Ballon d’Or winner, the Argentine continues to carry the hopes of Barcelona on his shoulders. A dispute with the club in the summer somewhat tarnished his year, particularly as his club are struggling to find their best form. Was top scorer and leading assist maker in La Liga last season.

Neymar

Remains one of the most free-spirited players in the modern game, with a style that is straight from the streets. He matches that with goal scoring quality and was a key figure as PSG reached the Champions League final for the first time.

Sergio Ramos

In the post-Ronaldo era, it was centre-back Ramos who inspired Real Madrid to the Spanish title. He came up with countless decisive moments and showed his mental fortitude by scoring a succession of key penalties. A man who led by example.

Mohamed Salah

Now a regular part of the discussion for awards such as this, the Liverpool attacker scored 19 goals in their Premier League title-winning campaign. Additionally, he won the Golden Ball at the Club World Cup, which was also won by Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Virgil van Dijk

Currently out with a long-term injury but the Netherlands international turned in another impressive campaign at the heart of the Liverpool defence. Now widely regarded as the benchmark for defensive excellence in the world game.

Fans can vote for the winner on FIFA's official site.