The Best FIFA Men's Player Award 2023: All Nominees

Lionel Messi is the current holder of FIFA Best award

Since 2016, the Best FIFA Men's Player award has been given out annually by FIFA, the organisation that oversees association football, to recognise the player who was thought to have excelled over the preceding year.

The FIFA World Player of the Year award, which was amalgamated with France Football's Ballon d'Or in 2010 to transform into the FIFA Ballon d'Or after a six-year cooperation, used to be known as the prize.

The eligibility season for the men's awards—Best FIFA Men's Player, Best FIFA Men's Coach, and Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper—was from 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023 (after the 2022 World Cup).

Fans are able to cast votes for their top picks in a variety of groupings, with the public vote (via FIFA.com) accounting for a portion of the total vote along with a jury made up of international managers and leaders of national teams and a few prominent journalists.

The 2022–23 Manchester City team that won the triple is represented by many of the nominees for The Best FIFA Men's Player, while Pep Guardiola is up for The Best FIFA Men's Coach honour along with four other peers.

The shortlist's one major discussion point is the omission of Cristiano Ronaldo, the two-time winner of the Best FIFA Men's Player award who plays for Al Nassr, in favour of Inter Miami's Leo Messi, the most recent winner.

Aitana Bonmat, the Golden Ball winner, is the front-runner among the Spanish nominees. A 16-player shortlist also includes four players from England, which finished second in the competition, and three Australian athletes.

The 12 nominees of men were chosen based on their accomplishments between 19 December 2022 and 20 August 2023, and each one was honoured for their consistent brilliance during that time.

The Best FIFA Men's Player Award 2023: Official nominees

• Julian Alvarez
• Marcelo Brozovic
• Kevin De Bruyne
• Ilkay Gundogan
• Erling Haaland
• Rodri
• Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
• Kylian Mbappe
• Lionel Messi
• Victor Osimhen
• Declan Rice
• Bernardo Silva