There’s no Ballon d’Or this year… but here’s ‘The Best’! FIFA reveal 11 top players of 2020

Five Liverpool stars are among the candidates for the 2020 Best FIFA awards ahead of the ceremony that takes place next month. 

The organisers of the Ballon d’Or – France Football – cancelled the event in July due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that has not stopped FIFA drawing up their top 11 players of the calendar year. 

Forwards Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are joined by fellow Reds team-mates Thiago Alcantara and injured defender Virgil van Dijk in the Best FIFA Men’s Player category.

FIFA have announced their Best FIFA awards in the absence of the Ballon d’Or this year

Virgil van Dijk is among four Liverpool outfield players to feature in FIFA’s Best awards

Forwards Mohamed Salah (left) and Sadio Mane (centre) also feature for Jurgen Klopp’s side

Summer signing Thiago Alcantara is the other Reds star to make the cut for outfield players

Goalkeeper Alisson has also been nominated for the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper and joins his team-mates in being recognised for his achievements.

The Brazilian, along with Mane, Salah and Van Dijk, were all part of the squad who helped Liverpool claim their maiden Premier League title.

Spain international Thiago meanwhile joined the Anfield side from Bayern Munich in the summer after another stellar campaign in Germany. 

Team-mate Alisson is the only Premier League-based goalkeeper to be named in the category

Lionel Messi has dominated awards in recent times and the Barcelona star is nominated again

Cristiano Ronaldo has also won heavily at individual awards and unsurprisingly makes the cut

Kevin De Bruyne is the only other Premier League star on the list, with the Manchester City star recognised after equalling Thierry Henry’s record for top-flight assists in 2019-20.

The Ballon d’Or has been dominated by Barcelona and Juventus stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and both players unsurprisingly make the cut here.

Luka Modric is the only other player to have won the Ballon d’Or between 2008 and the present day, but the Real Madrid midfielder has not made the FIFA list on this occasion.

However, Messi and Ronaldo’s recent dominance is set to be challenged this year by Bayern Munich marksman Robert Lewandowski, who netted a whopping 55 goals for the Treble winners in 47 appearances last season.

But the duo could well be challenged by Bayern Munich marksman Robert Lewandowski (right)

Sergio Ramos is the only outfield Real Madrid star to feature on the 11-strong men’s shortlist

PSG have two representatives with Kylian Mbappe (above) and Neymar making the cut

PSG stars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar also feature on the list after leading the Ligue 1 side to the Champions League final, while Real Madrid stalwart Sergio Ramos is the other household name to be nominated. 

Along with Alisson, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Keylor Navas have also been nominated in the men’s goalkeeper category.

German stoppers Manuel Neuer and Marc-Andre ter Stegen – of Bayern Munich and Barcelona respectively – have also been recognised for their excellent performances, while Atletico Madrid star Jan Oblak completes the list.  

Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich and Germany is one of six men’s goalkeepers to be nominated

Lionel Messi won last year’s The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award in Milan in September 2019

The Best FIFA Women’s Player category features notable names, including last year’s UEFA Women’s Player of the Year winner Lucy Bronze, with the Manchester City defender having played a starring role for England and Lyon in recent years. 

Chelsea – who currently sit third in the Women’s Super League – are also well represented, with Pernille Harder, Ji So-yun and Australian star forward Sam Kerr all being nominated.

The only other England-based outfield player to make the list is Arsenal star Vivianne Miedema, who won last season’s Golden Boot after hitting 16 league goals before the season was cut short due to Covid-19. 

There are two further representatives from Man City and Chelsea in the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper category, with Ann-Katrin Berger and Ellie Roebuck making the cut. 

Lucy Bronze is among the prominent women’s football stars to have been nominated

Arsenal and Chelsea forwards Vivianne Miedema (left) and Sam Kerr (right) also feature

Last season’s Premier League and Championship-winning bosses Jurgen Klopp and Marcelo Bielsa are included in the Best FIFA Men’s Coach award.

Julen Lopetegui and Hansi Flick – who won the Europa League and Champions League with Sevilla and Bayern in 2019-20 – are also listed, as is Zinedine Zidane, who helped Real Madrid to a first La Liga title since 2017.

Sarina Wiegman, who is due to take over as England Lionesses manager from Phil Neville next year, makes the women’s coach category, as does title Women’s Super League winner Emma Hayes.

Tottenham star Son Heung-min is up for the Puskas award following his incredible solo goal against Burnley, while Luis Suarez’s backheel chip for Barcelona against Mallorca is also nominated.

The winner of the FIFA Puskas Award will be selected by an international jury.