LONDON: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will again be duelling for the title of world’s best footballer after their names once again headed the shortlist yesterday for The Best Fifa Men’s Player.
The pair, who have dominated the global award in its varied forms for a decade, will be favourites to collect yet another accolade amid the 24-strong list of the world’s best.
Ronaldo enjoyed another remarkable season in which he inspired Real Madrid to a La Liga/Champions League double while Messi topped him in the Spanish goalscoring charts for Barcelona while going past a career landmark of 500 goals for the club.
Carli Lloyd, the US World Cup winner and two-time Olympic champion, was the inaugural winner and again makes the list of 10 in contention to be “Best Fifa” woman player. The Houston Dash midfielder had a loan spell at Manchester City last season.
Barcelona forward Lieke Martens and Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema, both winners of the women’s Euro 2017 with the Netherlands, are also on the list.
The awards are a revival of the old Fifa World Player of the Year, which had been combined with France Football magazine’s Ballon d’Or for six years before the collaboration ended last year. Ronaldo won the inugural “best” trophy.
They are voted for by national coaches and captains, selected media and fans, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in London on October 23.