Football: Messi, Mbappé and Haaland nominated for the Fifa player of the year award

The Argentinean Lionel Messi, the Norwegian Erling Haaland and the Frenchman Kylian Mbappé are the three nominated for the best player of the year prize awarded by Fifa on January 15 in London, the International Football Federation announced on Thursday.

The three finalists are exactly the same as for the Ballon d’Or won in October by Messi ahead of Haaland and Mbappé. The Argentine world champion had already won the Fifa prize in 2023.

The three players were appointed taking into account the performances achieved between December 19, 2022, the day after the World Cup final in Qatar, and August 20, 2023.

They were chosen by an international jury made up of four groups (coaches of the men's national teams, captains of the men's national teams, specialist journalists and supporters who voted on the Fifa website) from a list of twelve players established by a panel of experts, indicated the International Federation.

Among the women, the three finalists are the two Spanish world champions in 2023 Aitana Bonmati, crowned Ballon d'Or this year, and Jennifer Hermoso, and the Colombian Linda Caicedo. Hermoso was reluctantly at the center of a global scandal after being forcibly kissed on the World Cup podium by Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales, who was subsequently suspended from all duties for three years. in football by FIFA.

Fifa announced on Wednesday the nominees for the prize for the best coach of a men's team which will be contested by the Spaniard Pep Guardiola, winner of the Champions League with Manchester City, the Italian Simone Inzaghi, finalist with Inter Milan, and the Italian Luciano Spalletti.

As for the women's teams, victory will be between the Spaniard Jonatan Giraldez (FC Barcelona), the English Emma Hayes (Chelsea FC) and the Dutch Sarina Wiegman (England). Among the goalkeepers, the Moroccan Yassine Bounou, who won the Europa League with Sevilla, the Belgian Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) and the Brazilian Ederson, European champion with Manchester City, are in the running while among the women the Australian Mackenzie Arnold (West Ham), Spaniard Catalina Coll (FC Barcelona) and Englishwoman Mary Earps (Manchester United) have been named.