FIFA THE BEST
Three Africans in 77 nominations as voting begins at FIFA The Best Awards 2024
Voting is now open as FIFA has unveiled a shortlist of nominees for TheBest FIFA Football Awards 2024.
FIFA has unveiled an 11-man nominee shortlist for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024. There are 77 nominations, of which Africans made scant appearances.
In the main categories of The Best Men and The Best Women where there are 11 nominees in each, only two African women footballers made the cut.
They are Malawi’s national women’s team captain, Tabitha Chawinga and Zambia’s Barbra Banda.
Both are also in contention for the African Women’s Footballer of the Year holding in December in Morocco
The only other African in contention for an award at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 is Algeria’s Yassine Benzia whose goal against South Africa is one of the five shortlisted for the Puskas Award.
Malawi’s Tabitha Chawinga played for Paris Saint-Germain and is currently on loan to Olympique Lyonnais.
Barbra Banda, a key figure in Zambia’s qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics plays for Orlando Pride in South Africa.
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Voting is now open on FIFA’s official website across a number of award categories, with fans set to play a key role in choosing the winners.
The voting will be equally weighted between fans, the current captains and coaches of all women’s/men’s national teams, and media representatives.
The Best FIFA Men’s Player nominees:
Dani Carvajal (Spain), Real Madrid
Erling Haaland (Norway), Manchester City
Federico Valverde (Uruguay), Real Madrid
Florian Wirtz (Germany), Bayer Leverkusen
Jude Bellingham (England), Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappe (France), Paris Saint-Germain/Real Madrid
Lamine Yamal (Spain), Barcelona
Lionel Messi (Argentina), Inter Miami
Rodri (Spain), Manchester City
Toni Kroos (Germany), Real Madrid (now retired)
Vinicius Jr (Brazil), Real Madrid.
Nominees for The Best FIFA Women’s Player
Aitana Bonmati (Spain, Barcelona)
Barbra Banda (Zambia, Shanghai Shengli/Orlando Pride)
Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway, Barcelona)
Keira Walsh (England, Barcelona)
Khadija Shaw (Jamaica, Manchester City)
Lauren Hemp (England, Manchester City)
Lindsey Horan (USA, Olympique Lyonnais)
Lucy Bronze (England, Barcelona/Chelsea)
Mallory Swanson (USA, Chicago Red Stars)
Mariana Caldentey (Spain, Barcelona/Arsenal)
Naomi Girma (USA, San Diego Wave)
Ona Bathe (Spain, Barcelona)
Salma Paralluelo (Spain, Barcelona)
Sophia Smith (USA, Portland Thorns)
Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi, Paris Saint-Germain/Olympique Lyonnais)
Trinity Rodman (USA, Washington Spirit).
Nominees for The Best FIFA Women’s Coach
Arthur Elias (Brazil, Brazil)
Elena Sadiku (Sweden, Celtic)
Emma Hayes (England, Chelsea/USA)
Futoshi Ikeda (Japan, Japan)
Gareth Taylor (England, Manchester City)
Jonatan Giraldez (Spain, Barcelona/Washington Spirit)
Sandrine Soubeyrand (France, Paris FC)
Sonia Bompastor (France, Olympique Lyonnais/Chelsea).
Nominees for The Best FIFA Men’s Coach
Carlo Ancelotti (Italy, Real Madrid)
Lionel Scaloni (Argentina, Argentina)
Luis de la Fuente (Spain, Spain)
Pep Guardiola (Spain, Manchester City)
Xabi Alonso (Spain, Bayer Leverkusen).
Nominees for The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper
Alyssa Naeher (USA, Chicago Red Stars)
Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany, Chelsea/NJ/NY Gotham)
Ayaka Yamashita (Japan, INAC Kobe Leonessa/Manchester City)
Cata Coll (Spain, Barcelona)
Mary Earps (England, Manchester United/Paris Saint-Germain).
Nominees for The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper
Andriy Lunin (Ukraine, Real Madrid)
David Raya (Spain, Arsenal)
Ederson (Brazil, Manchester City)
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina, Aston Villa)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, Paris Saint-Germain)
Mike Maignan (France, AC Milan)
Unai Simon (Spain, Athletic Club).
There is an appreciable number of African players nominated for the FIFA Men’s XI. Five of them make the cut of 77 players to be voted for in the final 11.
The Africans shortlisted are Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Soufiane Rahimi who were bronze medal winners at the Paris 2024 Olympics; Nigeria’s William Troost-Ekong who was voted as the Most Valuable Player at the Africa Cup of Nations and his compatriot, Ademola Lookman. The other African is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon.
In the FIFA Best XI, there are 11 goalkeepers. One of them will be successful. There are 22 each for the defense, midfield and attack.
Reigning African woman footballer of the year, Asisat Oshoala has come up again for a possible award. Her goal for Barcelona Femini in a UEFA Women’s Champions League duel with Benfica last year is one of the goals nominated for the Marta Award.
Argentine Lionel Messi retained the FIFA men’s player of the year trophy on Monday, beating Manchester City’s treble-winning Norwegian striker Erling Haaland and France’s Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe to the award.
Spain’s 2023 World Cup winner Aitana Bonmati was voted the best women’s player of the year.
Messi, who also secured the men’s award in 2022 after guiding Argentina to World Cup victory, clinched the Ligue 1 title with PSG alongside Mbappe following that success, before moving to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami.
The 36-year-old, voted the best player by national teams coaches, captains, journalists and fans, helped Inter Miami win the 2023 Leagues Cup — a competition between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX sides — scoring 10 goals.
Messi was not present to collect the trophy.
The award period for the men’s prize ran from Dec. 19, 2022 to Aug. 20, 2023, and started the day after the World Cup final in Qatar.
Haaland, who helped City clinch a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles by scoring 52 goals in 53 matches across all competitions in the 2022-23 season, finished second in the voting.
The 23-year-old had the same points as Messi but lost out by having fewer first-place votes from national team captains.
City’s Pep Guardiola won the Best Men’s Coach award. The Spaniard, who before winning the treble with City last term had achieved the same feat at Barcelona in 2008-09, dedicated his award to fellow nominees Simone Inzaghi and Luciano Spalletti.
Inzaghi guided Inter Milan to the 2023 Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to City, while Spalletti won Serie A with Napoli to end the club’s 33-year wait for the title.
Sarina Wiegman claimed the Best Women’s coach prize after leading England to the World Cup final where they lost 1-0 to Spain.
Seven of her Lionesses were included in the Women’s World XI, including Mary Earps, who also took the Best Women’s Goalkeeper Award.
Brazil’s Manchester City keeper Ederson won the men’s award.
-Reuters
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