Sports

Messi, Lewandowski, Salah Nominated For FIFA’s Best Player Awards

The trio of Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Mohamed Salah on Friday have been nominated for the 2021 FIFA’s Best Player award to be handed out on 17 January 2022, reports Prime Business Africa.

The three superstars lit the world of football in the year just ended with fantastic performances for their clubs and countries and the ultimate winner will be unveiled at a glittering ceremony.

Egypt’s Mohamed Salah however will not be physically present at the awards ceremony as he will be on Cameroon representing the Pharaoh at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

The seven time champions are campaigning in Group D and would have played against Nigeria six days before the awards.

Pep Guardiola, Roberto Mancini and Thomas Tuchel are the candidates for the Coach of the Year gong.

BEST MEN’S PLAYER:

Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich)

Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona/PSG)

Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)

BEST WOMEN’S PLAYER:

Jennifer Hermoso (Spain/Barcelona)

Sam Kerr (Australia/Chelsea)

Alexia Putellas (Spain/Barcelona)

BEST MEN’S COACH:

Pep Guardiola ( Manchester City)

Roberto Mancini (Italian national team)

Thomas Tuchel ( Chelsea Football Club )

BEST WOMEN’S COACH:

Lluis Cortes (Spain/Barcelona)

Emma Hayes (England/Chelsea)

Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands/Dutch national team/English national team)

BEST MEN’S GOALKEEPER:

Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy/AC Milan/PSG)

Edouard Mendy (Senegal/Chelsea)

Manuel Neuer (Germany/Bayern Munich)

BEST WOMEN’S GOALKEEPER:

Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany/Chelsea)

Christiane Endler (Chile/PSG/Lyon)

Stephanie Labbe (Canada/FC Rosengard/PSG)

FIFA PUSKAS AWARD:

Erik Lamela – Tottenham Hotspur (🆚 Arsenal, 14 March)

Patrik Schick – Czech Republic (🆚 Scotland, 14 June)

Mehdi Taremi – FC Porto (🆚 Chelsea, 13 April).

The awards are voted for by international managers, captains of international teams, journalists and fans.

Robert Lewandowski won the men’s award in 2020, while England and Manchester City’s Lucy Bronze won the women’s.

The winners will be announced at the Best Fifa Football Awards in Zurich on 17 January.

Izuchukwu Okosi

Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc. In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio. He worked there for 13 years until October 2017. Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch. He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations. Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line. Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.