THE BEST FIFA FOOTBALL AWARDS
Meet the finalists, and favourite, for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award 2023?
FIFA, world football’s governing body, announced the three finalists for the prize, whose winner is to be revealed on 15 January.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is expected to be named The Best FIFA Men’s Player for 2023, beating Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé to the award. The trio were confirmed as the three finalists for the world-player-of-the-year prize at the end of last year, with the winner to be announced at The Best FIFA Football Awards gala on Monday 10 January.
Why is Haaland favourite for The Best if Messi won Ballon d’Or?
Haaland, Messi and Mbappé also made up the top three in the voting for last year’s Ballon d’Or, which was won by the Argentine. Having come second in that race, however, Haaland is poised to benefit from the difference between the qualifying periods for the 2023 Ballon d’Or and Best Men’s Player awards.
While the year’s Ballon d’Or took into account a period that included Messi’s 2022 World Cup win with Argentina, FIFA says 2023′s Best Men’s Player award is based on performances between 19 December 2022 - the day after the World Cup final - and 20 August 2023.
Messi’s starring role in Argentina’s victory in Qatar counted towards 2022′s Best Men’s Player prize, which was awarded in February based on achievements between August 2021 and the end of the World Cup. The Inter Miami forward claimed the accolade for the second time in his career, having also won it in 2019.
The extended eligibility period for the 2022 Best Men’s Player award explains why 2023’s selection window is shorter than usual.
Haaland key to Man City’s historic treble triumph
Haaland excelled for City as Pep Guardiola’s men completed a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble in 2023 - a feat that only one other English club, Manchester United in 1999, has ever achieved. The 23-year-old netted 28 times in 33 games for City in the Best Men’s Player qualifying period - a haul that helped him to finish the 2022/23 campaign as Premier League and Champions League top scorer. Despite having had numerous injury problems in recent weeks, this will not have hampered his chances, given the period in question.
Messi is expected to finish second in the Best Men’s Player voting, with Mbappé in third. The Paris Saint-Germain striker, who like Haaland is yet to win either of football’s two major individual awards, came second in the race for the 2022 FIFA prize, after winning the World Cup Golden Boot with runners-up France.
Who votes for the Best FIFA Men’s Player?
The initial 12-man shortlist for the 2023 Best Men’s Player award, which was announced in September, was selected by a FIFA panel of experts.
The winner was then chosen from that dozen by four groups of voters: national-team captains, national-team coaches, representatives of the media, and fans registered on FIFA.com. Each group’s ballots are worth 25% of the overall count. Voting opened on 14 September, and closed on 6 October.
When are The Best FIFA Football Awards?
The 2023 The Best FIFA Football Awards are to take place in London on Monday 15 January 2024.