On Thursday, FIFA revealed the nominees for The Best 2024 awards, which honor the year’s top soccer players worldwide, across both men’s and women’s categories. Lionel Messi has made the shortlist to receive the main award, while Cristiano Ronaldo was notably excluded, only being nominated for a minor category.
Messi has been selected as a finalist for the 2024 FIFA Men’s Footballer of the Year award, thanks to his standout performances with both Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. However, the competition is fierce, with other prominent stars such as Rodri (the recent Ballon d’Or winner), Vinicius Jr., Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland also in the running.
Lionel Messi stands out as the only player to have been a finalist for The Best award every year since its inception in 2016. He has also claimed the honor three times, the most by any player, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski, who each have two.
In contrast, Ronaldo finds himself absent from the World Player of the Year shortlist for the third consecutive year. Instead, the Al-Nassr forward has been nominated for a spot in the Ideal XI of 2024. He is one of the 22 attackers eligible, a category in which Messi is, of course, also nominated.
An award accepted by Lionel Messi on stage during the Best FIFA Football Awards in Paris
Finalists for The Best 2024:
Lionel Messi (Argentina, Inter Miami)
Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City)
Kylian Mbappe (France, Paris Saint-Germain-Real Madrid)
Rodri (Spain, Manchester City)
Vinicius Jr. (Brazil, Real Madrid)
Federico Valverde (Uruguay, Real Madrid)
Florian Wirtz (Germany, Bayer Leverkusen)
Dani Carvajal (Spain, Real Madrid)
Julian Alvarez (Argentina, Manchester City-Atletico Madrid)
Mohammed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool)
Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium, Manchester City)
Other awards at The Best 2024
In addition to the prestigious Best Player of the Year award, FIFA will present honors across several other key categories. For Best Coach, the frontrunners include Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti, Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni, and Spain’s Luis de la Fuente. In the Best Goalkeeper category, Emiliano Martinez remains a strong contender, with notable competition from Andriy Lunin of Real Madrid, among others.
Moreover, FIFA will announce the Ideal Lineup of the Year, selecting the top players for each position on the field from a list of pre-established finalists. Other awards include the Best Fans prize, the Fair Play Award, and the Puskas Award for the best goal of 2024. Each of these categories also has a female counterpart, celebrating the achievements in women’s soccer.
see also
Lionel Messi makes big confession about Barcelona amid contract extension reports with Inter Miami
Voting system for The Best
FIFA’s voting process for The Best awards is based on a mixed voting system. The four primary voting channels—each carrying equal weight—are: national team captains, national team coaches, media representatives, and fans.
However, there are a few exceptions. The Best Fans award will be determined exclusively by public votes. The Fair Play Award will be selected by a panel of experts, while the Puskas Goal of the Year Award (along with its female equivalent, the Marta Award) will be decided through a combination of public voting and input from a FIFA Legends Panel.
