Argentina's 2022 World Cup winner Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappe who otherwise share the dressing room at Paris Saint Germain, after the epic FIFA World Cup final of last year, will once again be seen battling for another honour.
The 2 ace footballers who had a tough competition over the Golden Boot award as well, with the 24-year-old winning it with a superb hat trick in the final, have been shortlisted for the FIFA Best Men's player award for 2022, the global football governing body announced.
While Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo who had a tough 2022 was a notable miss, Messi, Mbappe's PSG teammates Neymar Jr and Achraf Hakimi have also been nominated. The list of 14 players also features Karim Benzema, Erling Haaland, Mohd Salah and Sadio Mane's names.
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The winners will be announced on February 27th, 2023.
Players nominated: Julian Alvarez, Jude Bellingham, Karim Benzema, Kevin de Bruyne, Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Sadio mane, Mohd Salah, Neymar Jr, Achraf Hakimi, Luka Modric, Vinicius Jr