The winners of The Best Fifa Football Awards 2021 will be announced on Monday 17 January 2022 in Zurich, Switzerland.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is on the men’s shortlist with Paris St-Germain’s Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.
Salah, currently playing for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, is the Premier League’s top scorer this season with 16 goals, having finished second to Harry Kane last season.
Salah had a mixed year at Liverpool by his high standards, with the Reds’ shaky form at the start of 2021 almost costing them a place in the Premier League’s top four. However, thanks in part to the Egypt forwards’ 15 goals in 28 games between the turn of the year and end of the campaign, Liverpool reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League and finished third in the league
He comes up against Argentine Messi, last year’s Ballon d’Or winner, who has only won the Fifa men’s award once since its inception, claiming the prize in 2016.
Messi has managed only six goals in 16 appearances since his sensational move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain last summer. However, his 28 goals in 29 games for Barça between New Year’s Day and his emotional departure was Messi at his effervescent best, even if the rest of the team was lagging behind him, and he followed that up with four at the Copa América for Argentina.
Poland’s Lewandowski won the men’s award in 2020 and went on to score 69 goals in 2021, but two-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo is not on the shortlist for the first time.
Lewandowski’s consistency puts him above the other two averaging a goal roughly every 68 minutes, while Messi bagged one every 116 minutes and Salah every 122 minutes. He did win the Bundesliga title again with Bayern. He had less success at Euro 2020, with Poland crashing out at the group stage of the re-arranged tournament. He still managed to score three goals in as many games for his country, but was unable to force them into the knockout stages.
Best women’s player
Jennifer Hermoso (Spain/Barcelona)
Sam Kerr (Australia/Chelsea)
Alexia Putellas (Spain/Barcelona)
Best men’s player
Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich)
Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona/Paris St-Germain)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)
Best women’s coach
Lluis Cortes (Spain/Barcelona)
Emma Hayes (England/Chelsea)
Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands/Dutch national team/English national team)
Best men’s coach
Pep Guardiola (Spain/Manchester City)
Roberto Mancini (Italy/Italian national team)
Thomas Tuchel (Germany/Chelsea)
Best women’s goalkeeper
Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany/Chelsea)
Christiane Endler (Chile/Paris Saint-Germain/Lyon)
Stephanie Labbe (Canada/FC Rosengard/Paris Saint-Germain)
Best men’s goalkeeper
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy/AC Milan/Paris Saint-Germain)
Edouard Mendy (Senegal/Chelsea)
Manuel Neuer (Germany/Bayern Munich)
Fifa Puskas Award
Erik Lamela – Tottenham (vs Arsenal, 14 March)
Patrik Schick – Czech Republic (vs Scotland, 14 June)
Mehdi Taremi – Porto (vs Chelsea, 13 April)
