Best FIFA Football Awards 2020: Ronaldo, Messi among 11 nominees; Full shortlist

Following the end of the collaboration with France Football in announcing the joint Ballon d’Or awards, football governing body FIFA came up with its own set of awards – The Best, beginning from 2017. The 2020 edition of the coveted award ceremony is scheduled to be hosted on December 17, 2020, despite France Football abandoning the Ballon d’Or ceremony this year, citing the coronavirus pandemic. Football greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as usual, are a fixture of the 11-man shortlist.

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Best FIFA Football Awards 2020: Ronaldo leads with most The Best FIFA Men's Player awards

A stellar list of former football superstars was empanelled to decide the 11-man shortlist for the reputed awards. Public voting will take place until December 9, while the list of the three finalists will be announced on December 11. The ceremony will be hosted virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Ronaldo currently holds the record of bagging the most FIFA The Best awards, having won it twice, including the inaugural ceremony that was hosted in 2017. He also won the award the following season, with Barcelona icon Messi succeeding in halting the Portuguese from winning a third consecutive title last time around. The Best FIFA Women's Player shortlist was also announced this week.

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Best FIFA Football Awards 2020: Ronaldo, Messi make it to shortlist of The Best FIFA Men's Player

Ronaldo had a splendid campaign last season domestically, with his side clinching the Serie A title, while he also finished as the highest goalscorer for Juventus. He netted 37 goals last season while also bagging seven assists across all competitions for the Bianconeri.

Messi had a decent campaign individually as he clinched the Pichichi trophy after finishing as LaLiga's top scorer ahead of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. But the six-time Ballon d’Or winner’s individual brilliance wasn’t enough to guide Barcelona to domestic glory, let alone success in Europe.

Premier League players dominate Best FIFA Football Awards list

Bayern Munich superstar Robert Lewandowski played one of the best seasons of his professional career, winning the Champions League and the Bundesliga. He netted a mammoth 55 goals with 10 assists to his credit. His former teammate and Liverpool star Thiago Alcantara also makes it to the list.

The Premier League’s dominance was visible in the shortlist. Liverpool, who clinched their first Premier League title last season, saw the likes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, make it to the list. Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne, courtesy of his stellar displays, was also included. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr’s Champions League heroics also earned them a spot in the nominations.

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Best FIFA Football Awards list: Zidane, Flick nominated for The Best FIFA Men's Coach award

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane had a sensational campaign with Los Blancos last season, courtesy of which he has been included in the nominees for The Best FIFA Men's coach award. He is joined by Bayern's Hansi Flick, who guided the Bavarians to European glory, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Leeds' Marcelo Bielsa. 

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Image courtesy: Cristiano Ronaldo Twitter/Leo Messi Instagram