The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award 2022, Who Will Win It?
FIFA has announced the nominees for The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award.
One of the world’s most entertaining sports, football, captures the interest of millions of fans. The game, which is sometimes called a “beautiful game,” brings fans together under one roof. Football is known for its award shows in addition to its goals, assists, skills, and many other aspects of play.
The Ballon d’Or and the Best FIFA Football Awards are two of the more well-known ones. Cristiano Ronaldo won the inaugural Best FIFA Award in 2017, which was given out.
Robert Lewandowski is the most recent honoree. Honour is given to the person who has demonstrated their best qualities both individually and as a team. So, we’ve decided to look at the men who could win the Best FIFA Men’s Player Award in 2022.
The Ballon d’Or 2022 rankings were made public on October 17 when Karim Benzema was named the winner.
The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022™, honouring the outstanding members of the world’s most popular sport, will take place on 27 February 2023.
The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award 2022 Nominees
Here is the official list of the nominees for The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award 2022.
Julian Alvarez
He doesn’t turn 23 until the last day of January, but nothing seems to worry Álvarez, having first taken life at Manchester City before scoring four goals as he helped Argentina to World Cup glory. Known as ‘The Spider’, his furious pressing and dead-eye finish saw him prove to be a perfect foil for Lionel Messi in Qatar.
Key achievements: Won the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar ● Scored four goals at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar ● Became the youngest player to score twice in a FIFA World Cup semi-final since Pelé in 1958.
Jude Bellingham
Aged just 19, Bellingham proved to be one of the leaders of Gareth Southgate’s England team in Qatar with his driving performances in midfield, making him one of the most popular properties in Europe.
He became England’s second-youngest goalscorer at a World Cup and also led Borussia Dortmund to a runner-up spot in the Bundesliga. He has a rare mix of physical, technical and tactical ability, but perhaps most impressive is the old head on young shoulders.
Bellingham was the youngest player in the Birmingham first team when he made his senior debut, and they retired his number 22 shirt after he joined Dortmund despite only making 41 league appearances.
Key achievements: Outstanding performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar ● Runners-up in the 2021-22 Bundesliga ● Named in the 2021-22 Bundesliga Team of the Season.
Karim Benzema
Benzema is also having an outstanding season, contributing goals and assists for Real Madrid in the vast majority of the competitions in which the team participates. During the 2021–2022 season, Karim Benzema led Real Madrid to victory in La Liga, the Supercopa de Espana, and the Champions League.
Due in large part to his play during the previous season, he was awarded the Ballon d’Or for the first time in 2022.
Benzema was unable to take part in the World Cup 2022 due to an injury he sustained prior to the tournament.
Key achievements: Won the 2021-22 Spanish Primera División and was the league’s top scorer ● Won the 2021-22 Spanish Super Cup ● Won the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League and 2022 UEFA Super Cup ● UEFA’s top scorer Champions League 2021-22.
Kevin De Bruyne
It is arguable that Kevin De Bruyne is one of the best midfielders in the entire world. The star player for Manchester City is well-known for his ability to score goals, as well as for his long-range passing and assist ability. It is not unreasonable to put him in the position of front-runner for the award.
In the rankings for the Ballon d’Or 2022, De Bruyne finished in second place.
Key achievements: Won the 2021-22 English Premier League ● Named 2021-22 Premier League Player of the Season ● Named in the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League Team of the Season.
Erling Haaland
It is widely agreed that Erling Haaland is one of the best players in the world at the moment. Ever since the teenager signed a contract with Manchester City during the summer transfer window, he has been shattering records left and right. It’s possible that he won’t take home the trophy or the Ballon d’Or this year, but he definitely will in the years to come.
Because Norway did not meet the requirements to participate in the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, we will be deprived of the opportunity to witness Haaland’s goals in that competition.
Key achievements: Named in the 2021-22 German Bundesliga Team of the Season ● 2021-22 Bundesliga Runner-up ● Fastest player to score three hat-tricks in the English Premier League, having done so in just eight league games.
Achraf Hakimi
Paris Saint-Germain right-back Hakimi has been a star for club and country, but it is for the Atlas Lions that he will be most remembered after helping them to an incredible fourth-place finish at Qatar 2022. Named to CAF Africa 2021 Cup of Nations Best XI, will go a long way to find a full-back who has as much pace, skill and technique in attack as he does in defence.
Hakimi has won the Best Moroccan Player Abroad award for the past two seasons.
Key achievements: Named in CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2021 Best XI ● Finished fourth at Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup ● Won French Ligue 1 2021-22 ● Won Trophée des Champions 2022.
Vinicius Junior
What a season with Real Madrid it was for Vinicius Junior, cleaning up at the national level and also scoring the only goal against Liverpool in the Champions League final. Unsurprisingly, he was named to the Champions League Team of the Season and was also awarded Young Player of the Season in Europe’s premier competition. And still only 22, there’s plenty more to come from the Brazilian.
Vinicius made his Flamengo debut in 2017 at just 16 years old, and just weeks later he had been signed by Real Madrid, eventually joining the club on his 18th birthday.
Key achievements: Won the 2021-22 Spanish Primera División and 2021-22 Spanish Super Cup ● Won the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League ● Won the 2022 UEFA Super Cup ● Named in the 2021-22 Primera División and in UEFA Champions League Team season.
Robert Lewandowski
There is a strong argument that Robert Lewandowski is the best striker in the world at the moment. The 33-year-old forward is well-known for his ability to score goals. Lewandowski’s name has been brought up in discussions about both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s The Best. During the 2021/2022 season, he won both the DFL Supercup and the Bundesliga while playing for Bayern Munich.
In the rankings for the Ballon d’Or in 2022, Lewandowski came in fourth place.
Key achievements: Won the 2021-22 German Bundesliga and was the league’s top scorer ● Named in the 2021-22 Bundesliga Team of the Season ● Won the 2021-22 European Golden Boot and 2022 Gerd Müller Trophy.
Sadio Mane
During the summer transfer window, Sadio Mane switched clubs and joined Bayern Munich from Liverpool. Mane had previously played for Liverpool. In 22 games played so far this season, Mane has produced 11 goals for his team’s offence.
The fact that the Senegalese superstar finished in second place in the Ballon d’Or 2022 voting places him in a position to be considered among the top contenders for the award given to the best male player in the world by FIFA.
Due to an injury, Mane was unable to take part in the Qatar 2022 tournament.
Key achievements: ● Won English FA Cup and English League Cup 2021-22 ● Won 2022 German DFL Super Cup ● Won 2021 CAF Africa Cup of Nations ● Named 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Man of the Tournament.
Kylian Mbappe
To this day, Kylian Mbappe is regarded as one of the most promising young players in the history of the beautiful game. Mbappe is renowned not only for his ability to score goals but also for the impactful assists he provides. If France is successful in their bid to win the World Cup in 2022, the player, who is currently 23 years old, could also be considered the winner of the Best FIFA Men’s Player award.
Key achievements: Won the Golden Boot and was runner-up at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar ● Won the 2021-22 French Ligue 1 (top scorer and assist) and won the Trophée des Champions ● Named in the 2021 UEFA Champions League- 22 team of the season.
Lionel Messi
After so many years during which football fans were waiting for Lionel Messi to win a major trophy with his country after reaching the final of the Copa America several times as well as the final of the World Cup in 2014, Messi won the Copa America in 2021 with Argentina. This victory came after so many years during which Messi won the World Cup.
And after winning the Copa America, Lionel Messi surprised almost everyone involved in football by signing with Paris Saint-Germain. This was after his contract with Barcelona had expired, and the club was unable to offer him a new one. Fans, journalists, and other players were all taken aback by the move.
Fans of Paris Saint Germain (PSG) had high hopes that their team would reach the Champions League final and emerge victorious; however, the Ligue 1 side was knocked out of the competition after suffering a loss to Real Madrid in the round of 16.
Argentina entered the World Cup 2022 with one goal in mind, and that was to win the championship. They were successful in achieving their goal. As is his custom, Lionel Messi was instrumental in the team’s victory, which came on penalties against France. This gives Messi a significant advantage over the competition for the award of Best Men’s Player of FIFA.
Key achievements: Won French Ligue 1 and 2021-22 Trophée des Champions ● Won Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup and Ballon d’Or ● Became Argentina’s top scorer in World Cup history ● Broke the record number of appearances in the FIFA World Cup.
Luka Modric
Luka Modric is widely considered to be among the very best players at his position. At the World Cup 2022, Modric was a member of Croatia’s national team, which advanced to the semifinals before being eliminated by Argentina.
Croatia then faced Morocco in the match for third place. The final score was 2-1, and Croatia took third place in the competition. He participated in a total of seven games for his team.
Key achievements: Won Spanish Primera División and 2021-22 Super Cup ● Won 2021-22 UEFA Champions League and 2022 UEFA Super Cup ● Named in Primera División and UEFA Champions League Team of the Season ● Finished third in the 2022 World Cup.
Neymar
As he continues his road to recovery, Neymar sends a message consisting of just three words.
Since the beginning of the 2022/2023 season, Neymar has been in sensational form for Paris Saint-Germain. However, as a result of Brazil’s elimination from the World Cup 2022 in the quarterfinals, his chances of winning The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award 2022 are extremely low.
Key achievements: Won the 2021-22 French Ligue 1 ● Won the 2022 Trophée des Champions, scoring twice in PSG’s 4-0 win against Nantes.
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has been included among the nominees for the 2022 edition of FIFA’s The Best award.
Mohamed Salah had a breakout year with Liverpool last season, winning both the EFL League Cup and FA Cup titles.
The 30-year-old also wrapped up last year’s Premier League campaign in style, claiming the Golden Boot and Playmaker of the Season awards.
His contributions also guided Liverpool to the UEFA Champions League final, where they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid.
Key achievements: Won the 2021-22 English FA Cup and English League Cup ● Won the 2022 FA Community Shield ● Won the 2021-22 English Premier League Golden Boot (joint).
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