The final three-man shortlists for the 2019 FIFA ‘The Best’ football awards have been confirmed today.
Virgil Van Dijk has been joined by regulars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the final three for Fifa’s Best Men’s Player award.
The Liverpool defender made the cut after his award-winning evening last week when he was named Uefa Champions League Player of the Year.
Van Dijk beat Messi and Ronaldo to the European gong – but will go up against them again for the Fifa gong.
Meanwhile, England’s Lucy Bronze joins US stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe in the running for Best Women’s Player.
The world football governing body will host their annual awards on 23rd September in Milan 2019.
This is the fourth edition of the Best Fifa Football Awards, set up after football’s world governing body ended its association with the Ballon d’Or.
A version of the Ballon d’Or has been awarded by France Football magazine since 1956, but was merged with Fifa’s World Footballer of the Year award from 2010 to 2015.
The governing body then introduced the Best Fifa Football Awards, with Portugal international Ronaldo the first recipient of its main prize in January 2017.
Voting for the player and coach categories is conducted by national team captains and managers, selected journalists and an online poll from fans. Each account for 25% of the total.
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric won the men’s prize for best player in 2018 – the first time in 11 years Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi failed to come out on top in a world footballer of the year award.
Final shortlists:
Best Men’s Player: Virgil van Dijk, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Men’s Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker, Ederson, Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Best Men’s Coach: Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino
Puskas Award: Lionel Messi, Juan Fernando Quintero, Daniel Zsori
Fan Award: Silvia Grecco, Netherlands fans at the Women’s World Cup, Justo SanchezBest
Women’s Player: Lucy Bronze, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe
Best Women’s Goalkeeper: Christiane Endler, Hedvig Lindahl, Sari van VeenendaalBest
Women’s Coach: Jill Ellis, Phil Neville, Sarina Wiegman
