The world governing body, FIFA, on Friday, released the full nominees shortlist for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024, Afrosport reports.
The football apex body announced the nominees for a plethora of awards, including The Best FIFA Men’s Player, The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach, The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper, and The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper.
2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior will rekindle their rivalry on this stage as both have been nominated for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award alongside Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Toni Kroos, and Argentine forward Lionel Messi, who is a three-time recipient of the award.
Zambian forward Barbra Banda and Malawi international Tabitha Chawinga have to contend with a host of top-class stars for The Best FIFA Women’s Player award, including current holder Aitana Bonmati, Jamaica’s Khadija Shaw, Spain’s Salma Paralluelo, and the American duo Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman.
Five of the best managers in men’s football are vying for The Best FIFA Men’s Coach award, with Pep Guardiola up against the likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Spain’s Euro-winning boss, Luis de la Fuente. In the women’s category, USWNT coach Emma Hayes is joined on the nominee list by Japan’s Futoshi Ikeda, Jonatan Giráldez from Spain, and Frenchwoman Sonia Bompastor.
According to FIFA, fans will have a large part to play in crowning winners in the ninth edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024, as votes for each category of the awards are equally weighted between fans, national team captains and coaches, and media representatives.
Fans also have the opportunity to vote for The Best FIFA Men’s XI and The Best FIFA Women’s XI, with the winner of the FIFA Fan Award entirely dependent on fan choice, while the recipient of the FIFA Fair Play Award will be decided by an expert panel.
The FIFA Marta Award has also been newly introduced, with the award, which was named after the Brazilian football legend, set to honour the best goal scored in women’s football. The winners of both the FIFA Marta Award and FIFA Puskas Award, which will now be handed out regardless of championship or nationality, will equally be determined by fans and a panel of FIFA Legends.
The awards ceremony will celebrate the top performers in men’s and women’s football at both club and national team levels, and voting for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 has commenced and will close on Tuesday, 10 December.
Full nomineess for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024
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 Mbappé (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)
Vinícius Jr (Brazil), Real Madrid
The Best FIFA Women’s Player nominees
Aitana Bonmatí (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
Mariona Caldentey (Spain), Barcelona/Arsenal
Naomi Girma (USA), San Diego Wave
Ona Batlle (Spain), Barcelona
Salma Paralluelo (Spain), Barcelona
Sophia Smith (USA), Portland Thorns
Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi), Paris Saint-Germain/Olympique Lyonnais
Trinity Rodman (USA), Washington Spirit
The Best FIFA Women’s Coach nominees
Arthur Elias (Brazil), Brazil
Elena Sadiku (Sweden), Celtic
Emma Hayes (England), Chelsea/USA
Futoshi Ikeda (Japan), Japan
Gareth Taylor (England), Manchester City
Jonatan Giráldez (Spain), Barcelona/Washington Spirit
Sandrine Soubeyrand (France), Paris FC
Sonia Bompastor (France), Olympique Lyonnais/Chelsea
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach nominees
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
The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper nominees
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
The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper nominees
Andriy Lunin (Ukraine), Real Madrid
David Raya (Spain), Arsenal
Ederson (Brazil), Manchester City
Emiliano Martínez (Argentina), Aston Villa
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy), Paris Saint-Germain
Mike Maignan (France), AC Milan
Unai Simón (Spain), Athletic Club
