Football governing body FIFA will be naming the best footballer of the year on December 17.
In the meantime, the governing body has announced the 11 nominees that will be battling for the award.
The winner is decided by fans, teams’ captains, coaches, and top journalists.
Although France Football has decided that there won’t be a Ballon d’Or this year due to COVID-19, but FIFA will still honour some players.
The first FIFA ceremony was held in 2016. The 2020 edition will hold in Zurich under special conditions due to covid-19. This means the gala will be a virtual occasion. Female footballer awards, coaches, and other special awards will be part of the event.
According to FIFA’s statement, the nominees were selected by a panel of men’s football based on their achievements between July 8, 2019, to October 7, 2020.
The names will be trimmed down to three in each category from eleven nominees at a later date. The winners will then be announced at The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony, to be held in Zurich on December 17th.
Leading the nominees is the current holder, Lionel Messi. His biggest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, follows him. The duo has shared 11 FIFA world best player awards between them.
Other people competing against the two stars include Robert Lewandowski, who had a successful season with Bayern Munich that took all the trophies in front of them. The Polish striker scored over 50 goals last season to help Bayern to success.
His former Bayern teammate, Thiago Alcantara, who now plies his trade with Liverpool, was also named.
Champions League finalists Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr were also named for their effort in taking PSG to their first European club competition first final.
Premier League champions Liverpool have three nominees in Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, and Virgil van Dijk. The Dutch defender finished second in the last edition.
The Premier League assist king, Kevin De Bruyne, who almost broke the assist record of Thierry Henry last season with Manchester City, also made the top 11.
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos completes the list after leading the Galactico to the 2020 La Liga title.
Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed
