Argentine and Barcelona super star, Lionel Messi, was conspicuously missing as world football governing body, FIFA, on Monday, unveiled three nominees for its men’s World Best Player award.
They are Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo, his former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah.
It will be Ronaldo sixth FIFA award if he wins on September 24.
Both Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the award for the past 10 years but the Argentine superstar has been omitted from the shortlist after featuring in the top three for 11 straight years.
Ronaldo, who like Messi is a five-time winner of the award, lifted a fourth Champions League title in five years before joining Italian champions Juventus in July.
Global honour and recognition also beckons France’s World Cup-winning manager Didier Deschamps, Zlatko Dalic and Zinedine Zidane who have been nominated as finalists for FIFA’s coach of the year award.
Deschamps became just the third man to win the World Cup as a player and coach with victory over Dalic’s Croatia in Russia while Zidane led Real Madrid to a third consecutive Champions League win in May before stepping down.
The women are not left out but the Best FIFA Women’s Player award is certain to change hands. Brazil’s triumphant Copa America Feminina captain, Marta, will be joined by Lyon duo Ada Hegerberg and Dzsenifer Maroszan, who enjoyed an unbeaten Division 1 Feminine season and lifted the UEFA Women’s Champions League, in contending for the honour.
Netherlands’s tactician Sarina Wiegman both in contention for the Best FIFA Women’s Coach, along with Lyon’s Reynald Pedros and Japan’s Asako Takakura, the latter having guided her side to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
According to FIFA.com, The Best FIFA Goalkeeper Award will be contested between a trio who shone in Russia, namely Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois, France’s Hugo Lloris and Denmark’s Kasper Schmeichel. Meanwhile, the shortlists for the FIFA Puskás Award and FIFA Fan Award were revealed, with voting now open for supporters to help decide the winners.
All seven awards, as well as the FIFA Fair Play Award and FIFA/FIFPro World 11, will be handed out on September 24 in front of football’s biggest names amongst the impressive surroundings of London’s Royal Festival Hall.