Three-player shortlist for FIFA’s Best Men’s Player award unveiled as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland vie for the prize.
Football’s governing body initially unveiled a star-studded list in September, but contenders like Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, and Declan Rice have since exited the race.
Those 12 nominees were chosen by a panel of experts, but the final three was determined by an international jury made up of men’s national team coaches and captains, journalists and fans who voted on FIFA’s website.
Messi is defending his Best Men’s Player award, having scooped the gong in 2022 after leading Argentina to World Cup glory.
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He then won Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain before joining Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami.
Mbappe was a beaten finalist in Qatar despite dragging France to a penalty shootout with a hat-trick and was PSG’s leading goalscorer as they went on to scoop the top-flight title.
Haaland was a key cog in Manchester City‘s dominant 2022/23 campaign when they won the treble, netting 52 goals in all competitions.
The 36 of those came in the Premier League as the Norwegian set a new record for most strikes in a single season among numerous other feats.
Messi claimed the award for the second time in 2022 after Robert Lewandowski was awarded it in back-to-back years in 2020 and 2021.
