Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah have made the final three for FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player of the Year award.
Ronaldo and Modric both helped Real Madrid to Champions League glory prior to the former’s move to Juventus, with Salah scoring an incredible 44 goals in all competitions for Liverpool. That means that there’s no place in the final three for Barcelona sensation Lionel Messi, despite his exploits in helping the Catalan giants win the Liga title last season. Ronaldo, who won the award last year, is used to facing stiff competition from the diminutive striker but still has a battle on his hands to retain ‘The Best’ trophy.
Salah has been a revelation for Liverpool, scoring 43 goals in all competitions last season for the Reds and helping to fire Jurgen Klopp’s side to the Champions League final, where he was forced off after suffering a shoulder injury.
Real Madrid went on to defend their title in the European showpiece, and despite the fact that he didn’t score, Ronaldo lifted the trophy for the fifth time in his career.
The Portuguese has since moved to Juventus for £100m but will be competing with ex-team-mate Modric in the Best Male Player of the Year category.
The Croatian starred for his side on their unlikely run to the World Cup final this summer and was at the heart of Zinedine Zidane’s Real side.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid/Juventus, Portugal
– Won the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid
– Finished 2017/18 as the Champion League’s top scorer (15)
– Won FIFA Club World Cup 2017
Luka Modric
Real Madrid, Croatia
– Captained Croatia to their first ever FIFA World Cup Final
– Won the Golden Ball at Russia 2018
– Helped Real Madrid win Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool, Egypt
– Helped Liverpool to UEFA Champions League final in maiden season
– Netted 32 goals during English Premier League campaign, setting new scoring record
– Finished joint-second in 2017/18 Champions League scoring chart
The Original 10-man shortlist
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Juventus, Portugal)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia)
Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid, France)
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium)
Eden Hazard (Chelsea, Belgium)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt)
Kylian Mbappe (PSG, France)
Raphael Varane (Real Madrid, France)
Harry Kane (Tottenham, England)
Ronaldo was named The Best FIFA Men’s Player in the past two years, with the award having been inaugurated in 2016 after FIFA and France Football decided to no longer work together to produce the FIFA Ballon d’Or prize.
2 comments