FIFA have unveiled a 14-player shortlist for The Best Men’s Player award for 2022.
The world football governing body has announced that this year’s award will be handed out based on performances from the start of the 2021/22 season up until the conclusion of the 2022 World Cup.
After leading Argentina to glory in Qatar, Lionel Messi is unsurprisingly the headline name on the shortlist. He finished second in last year’s award to Robert Lewandowski, who has also been nominated again.
Messi is not the only member of Argentina’s squad up for The Best award, with Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez receiving a nomination.
The forward is joined on the shortlist by club-mates Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.
The only other player nominated currently playing their club football in England is Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, though former teammate Sadio Mane, now of Bayern Munich, is too shortlisted.
In addition to Messi, PSG stars Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Achraf Hakimi have all been rewarded with nominations.
European champions Real Madrid have three players on the shortlist, with Luka Modric, Vinicius Junior and Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema making the cut.
Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham is the youngest player on the shortlist at 19 years of age.
Voting for the award is split into four groups – media representatives, national team coaches, national team captains and fan votes. Each group will have 25% of the overall vote.
The Best Men’s Player 2022 shortlist:
Julian Alvarez
Jude Bellingham
Karim Benzema
Kevin De Bruyne
Erling Haaland
Achraf Hakimi
Robert Lewanadowski
Sadio Mane
Kylian Mbappe
Lionel Messi
Luka Modric
Neymar
Mohamed Salah
Vinicius Junior