It is the section of the year when footballers start reaping the rewards of their efforts, claiming prestigious accolades, incredible honors and amazing recognition for their brilliant performances.
FIFA, football’s governing body has moved a step further towards naming their best player for the year, slicing their initial 10-man shortlist to 3 – with Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah emerging as the finalists.
The association has faced intense scrutiny ever since the final shortlist was released, with football fans rueing the absence of some notable names on it – and that is quite understandable, considering that many superstars performed extraordinarily and achieved a lot during the past couple of months.
5 Kevin De Bruyne
After enjoying a very successful campaign at both club and international level this year, Manchester City maestro, Kevin De Bruyne also belongs to the class of incredible superstars who deserved a place in the final shortlist of FIFA’s Player Of The Year award this term.
The playmaker was the engine of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side that ran riot on their way to claiming the Premier League title in style last season – consistently producing explosive performances that defined his pure class and immense talent.
The Belgian maintained his brilliant form even in the World Cup, scoring once and recording 2 assists to his name to help his nation finish third in the coveted tournament. With such brilliant performances and achievements, the midfielder also deserves to be among the final 3 contestants of the FIFA Player Of The Year award this term.
4 Raphael Varane
Defenders are often overlooked when it comes to individual awards like this one but Real Madrid superstar, Raphael Varane deserves a lot of recognition for his brilliant performances and achievements during the year.
The Frenchman has had the most successful year in his career so far, raising his game to an extraordinary height and establishing himself as one of the finest defenders in Europe at the moment.
3 Antoine Griezmann
The Belgian maintained his brilliant foAtletico Madrid sharpshooter, Antoine Griezmann is one of the few superstars that deserved to finish among the top 3 contenders for the FIFA Player Of The Year award this year. The French International was one of the top performers in Europe during the previous season, bagging an unbelievable 29 goals and 15 assists in 49 appearances and leading the Rojiblancos to claim the UEFA Europa League during the campaign.rm even in the World Cup, scoring once and recording 2 assists to his name to help his nation finish third in the coveted tournament. With such brilliant performances and achievements, the midfielder also deserves to be among the final 3 contestants of the FIFA Player Of The Year award this term.
2 Kylian Mbappe
The third Frenchman on the list, Paris Saint Germain superstar, Kylian Mbappe has emerged as one of the most impressive attackers on the planet at the moment – thanks to his dominant displays in the recently concluded World Cup. The French youngster was a big revelation throughout the competition, tearing opposition defenses apart with his sheer pace, fantastic dribbling skills, incredible movement, and amazing goalscoring knack as well as helping his nation to claim the prestigious trophy in Russia with 4 impressive goals to his name.
Mbappe also played a huge role in Paris Saint Germain’s season last term, bagging a spectacular 21 goals and 15 assists in all competitions and also helping the Parisians to claim a domestic treble during the campaign.
1 Lionel Messi
FIFA’s decision to ignore Lionel Messi in their final shortlist for the Player Of The Year award this term has caused a lot of controversies and several debates among football enthusiasts all over the world – with some notable figures even leaping forward to defend the Argentine playmaker. As a matter of fact, it came as a surprise to many because no one was expecting the attacker to be left out of the top 3 contenders for the accolade, due to the spectacular year he has had. The Argentine finished as the top scorer in Europe last season, claiming the European Golden Shoe with a whopping 34 goals in 36 appearances. He also played an influential role at Barcelona, helping the Catalans to claim both the La Liga title and the Copa Del Rey trophy during the campaign.