No surprises as FIFA announced the candidates for The Best Award. Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, and Kylian Mbappe will vie for the award for the best player of 2022.
The final three of contenders is hardly debatable. Benzema and Mbappe will be seeking their first The Best trophy, while Messi will be attempting to win his second after taking home the trophy in 2019. The Champions League and the World Cup will be the primary competitions to play the key role in deciding the winner.
Without a doubt, 2022 will go down in history as Lionel Messi’s year. After multiple failed attempts, the Argentinian ultimately won the World Cup in Qatar, establishing himself as many people’s choice for “the best in history.”
Now, the PSG player has before him the chance to take home his second The Best, having already beaten Virgil Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo to it in 2019.
Following his first Ballon d’Or in Paris in October and his victory as the UEFA Player of the Year last season, Karim Benzema is once again vying for an individual honor.
The Real Madrid striker’s injuries at the end of the year have reduced his hopes of winning the trophy in a 2022 in which he helped his team win the Champions League and LaLiga Santander and was the top scorer and best player in both competitions.
Surprisingly, Kylian Mbappe is making his debut on the shortlist in this season.
The Best may put the finishing touches on a 2022 that has showed the most decisive version of the Parisian attacker. The Frenchman has yet to get a big individual accolade.
The winner will be announced on Monday, February 27 at a gala where numerous other prizes, including those for best coach, best goalkeeper, and best eleven of the year, will also be given out.
