After FIFA revealed the list of candidates for the 2022 FIFA World Player of the Year award, the Spanish newspaper MARCA monitored 10 prominent stars who were absent from the nominations.
FIFA announced the list of candidates the day before yesterday, Thursday, and the result will be announced during the annual “best” ceremony held by the International Federation on February 27.
He pointed out that the results of the 2022 World Cup competitions in Qatar will affect the winning of some prizes by some candidates after their contribution to achieving great results for their teams.
And “Marca” monitored the most prominent absentees from the “Best” nominations in 2022, as follows:
10. Rafael Leao
The Portuguese left winger was one of the biggest achievements in Italy last year, and AC Milan's key to achieving the Serie A (Scudetto) after 11 years.
9. Christopher Nkunku
The French striker for the German team Leipzig was one of the big names last year in the German league, scoring 35 goals and providing 20 assists, but the poor performance of his team made him not be among the top ten.
8. Son Heung-min
He is, along with Harry Kane, the best ever in the Tottenham team, and was the second best scorer in the English Premier League in the 2021-2022 season, with 23 goals and 9 assists.
7. Casemiro
Last summer, he played a key role in crowning Real Madrid with the Champions League title at the expense of Liverpool, and he presented his best levels in the final stage of last season with the Spanish team, which he left to move to Manchester United at the beginning of this season.
6. Virgil van Dyck
It is true that his form has dropped this season but he is still one of the most dominant defenders in Europe, with evidence that without him Liverpool would be clearly weak defensively.
5. Bedri
He became one of the main stars of the Barcelona team last year, and he also appeared at an impressive level with the Spain national team.
4. Joao Cancelo
A right back turned into a striker on the left side and scored 3 goals and provided 10 assists. He also became an integrated player in the Manchester City team, as he contributes in all aspects: defense, building attacks, and finishing as well, so it is one of the most important trump cards for coach Pep Guardiola.
3. Toni Kroos
Real Madrid's compass, as he is the player who brilliantly controls the center of the European champion's field, and his shots often hit the net wonderfully.
2. Bernardo Silva
His perfect influence in Manchester City's midfield places him alongside Real Madrid star Luka Modric as the best midfield player in the world.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
The numbers support the Portuguese star, as he scored 24 goals and provided 3 assists last year, whether in the English Premier League or the Champions League.
And the last six "bad" months he spent at Manchester United overshadowed what had been a more than impressive season.
His decline and the exit of the Portugal national team from the World Cup also affected his "rare" absence among the candidates for the best in the world.
Here are the nominees for #TheBest FIFA Player!
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Cast your vote for your men's and women's player on FIFA+!
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— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) January 12, 2023
List of candidates for the best
Competing for the Best Award - as FIFA announced - are: Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Ashraf Hakimi, Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Julian Alvarez (Manchester City), Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), and Robert Lewandowski. (Barcelona), Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Judd Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund).
Last Thursday, the voting process for the owners of the award for the best player in the world began, and it will continue until February 27, the date of organizing the ceremony to announce the owner of the award.
The votes will be distributed to 4 categories, which will choose the owner of the “Best” award, and the categories are: journalists with 25%, coaches of national teams 25%, captains of national teams 25%, and the rest - that is, 25% - from the votes of the fans.