Four Premier League stars have been included in the shortlist for FIFA’s ‘The Best’ Awards.
While the Ballon d’Or is widely considered as the pinnacle of individual football awards, World governing body FIFA has come up with their own awards in recent years, ‘The Best’ Awards.
Of the ten nominees for the best men’s player of 2017/17 season, five are from La Liga, four hail from the Premier League and one from Ligue 1, with the Bundesliga having no representation whatsoever.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the standout name, although Luka Modric’s performances for both Real Madrid and Croatia will see him as a contender, while teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe is the youngest inclusion after his stellar performances for France at the World Cup.
From the Premier League, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard returned to form for both club and country, while his fellow Belgian Kevin de Bruyne also had a season to behold last term.
The Premier League’s top two goal scorers from last season, Mo Salah and Harry Kane, are also included after they netted an impressive 62 goals between them in 2017/18.
Other inclusions are Lionel Messi, Raphael Varane and Antoine Griezmann – while Neymar is the big name exclusion from the list following his injury-hit campaign for PSG, along with his diving antics at the World Cup.
