There’s no Ballon d’Or this year… but here’s ‘The Best’! FIFA reveal the shortlist of the 11 top players of 2020 including FOUR Liverpool stars – so will Lewandowski end the Messi-Ronaldo dominance?
- Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Thiago and Virgil van Dijk have all been nominated
- They are joined by goalkeeper Alisson who is nominated for best goalkeeper
- Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated recently and feature again
- But Robert Lewandowski could challenge them after a stellar season last year
Five Liverpool stars are among the candidates for the 2020 Best FIFA awards ahead of the ceremony that takes place next month.
The organisers of the Ballon d’Or – France Football – cancelled the event in July due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that has not stopped FIFA drawing up their top 11 players of the calendar year.
Forwards Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are joined by fellow Reds team-mates Thiago Alcantara and injured defender Virgil van Dijk in the Best FIFA Men’s Player category.
Virgil van Dijk is among four Liverpool outfield players to feature in FIFA’s Best awards
Forwards Mohamed Salah (left) and Sadio Mane (centre) also feature for Jurgen Klopp’s side
Goalkeeper Alisson has also been nominated for the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper and joins his team-mates in being recognised for his achievements.
The Brazilian, along with Mane, Salah and van Dijk, were all part of the squad who helped Liverpool claim their maiden Premier League title.
Spain international Thiago meanwhile joined the Anfield side from Bayern Munich in the summer after another stellar campaign in Germany.
Kevin De Bruyne is the only other Premier League star on the list, with the Manchester City star recognised after equalling Thierry Henry’s record for top-flight assists in 2019-20.
The Ballon d’Or has been dominated by Barcelona and Juventus stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and both players unsurprisingly make the cut here.
But their dominance is set to be challenged this year by Bayern Munich marksman Robert Lewandowski, who netted a whopping 55 goals for the treble winners in 47 appearances last season.
PSG stars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar also feature on the list after leading the Ligue 1 side to the Champions League final, while Real Madrid stalwart Sergio Ramos is the other household name to be nominated.
Along with Alisson, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Keylor Navas have also been nominated in the men’s goalkeeper category.
German shotstoppers Manuel Neuer and Marc-Andre ter Stegen – of Bayern Munich and Barcelona – have also been recognised for their excellent performances, while Atletico Madrid star Jan Oblak completes the list.
The Best FIFA Women’s Player category features notable names, including last year’s UEFA Women’s Player of the Year winner Lucy Bronze, with the Manchester City defender having played a starring role for England and Lyon in recent years.
Chelsea – who currently sit third in the Women’s Super League – are also well represented, with Pernille Harder, Ji So-yun and Australian star forward Sam Kerr all being nominated.
The only other England-based player to make the list is Arsenal star Vivianne Miedema, who won last season’s Golden Boot after hitting 16 league goals.
There are two further representatives from Man City and Chelsea in the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper category, with Ann-Katrin Berger and Ellie Roebuck making the cut.
