FIFA The Best nominees announced as Man City boast half of 12-man shortlist
Erling Haaland will go head-to-head with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe to be crowned the best player in the world.
Haaland is one of six of Manchester City's Treble-winning stars to be up for prizes in FIFA's The Best awards with Pep Guardiola also in contention for the managerial award. Messi is the current award holder but this year's qualifying period for the men's award runs from December 19, 2022 - which is the day AFTER Argentina won the World Cup - until August 20, 2023.
City striker Haaland has already won the respective awards from the Football Writers' Association and Professional Footballers' Association in England after setting a new goals record in his first season in the Premier League. Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri and Bernardo Silva are the other City players to be nominated while Arsenal's Declan Rice is also on the 12 player shortlist.
Croatia's Marcelo Brozovic and Napoli pair Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen are the others on the shortlist compiled by world football's governing body. Tottenham's Ange Postecoglou is on the managerial shortlist after leading Celtic to the Treble while Guardiola is favourite and Xavi and Luciano Spalletti have also been nominated.
City's list of nominations continue with their No.1 Ederson who is up for best keeper together with Manchester United's former Inter Milan keeper Andre Onana. Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois is also nominated.
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England's Lionesses are also recognised for their efforts in reaching the final of the World Cup with Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood, Lauren James and Keira Walsh up for The Best FIFA Women's Player. Mary Earps is vying to be The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper while Sarina Wiegman is up for best women's coach along with Chelsea's Emma Hayes.
Manchester City completed the Treble by winning their first ever Champions League in June (Jose Breton/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)Have your say! Who should win The Best awards? Join the debate in the comments section.
The voting is open until October 6 with fans able to cast their vote along with national team captains and managers along with journalists. Due to Messi's World Cup triumph coming before the qualifying period, leaving only his relatively quiet run of form during his final months at Paris Saint-Germain and a rapid start to life with Inter Miami to lean on, Haaland stands a good chance of pipping the Argentine icon to the six-year-old FIFA award.
Yet City's talisman isn't even being backed to claim the end-of-year awards by his own manager at international level. Norway boss Stale Solbakken has predicted that Messi will prevail in the race for football's more coveted individual prize, the Ballon d'Or. "If you ask me who I think will win, I will say Messi will win it thanks to his World Cup triumph," Solbakken told VG. "It still has an impact."
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