Haaland and Rodri shortlisted for 2024 FIFA Men's Award.© (@brfootball)
Manchester City’s Rodri and Erling Haaland have been nominated for the 2024 FIFA Best Men’s Player award, becoming the only representatives from the Premier League. The two players earned recognition after helping City achieve a historic feat by winning four consecutive Premier League titles, marking the first time in English top-flight history that a team has achieved such a milestone.
Among the nominees for the prestigious award is Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, one of 11 players vying for the honour. The list is heavily dominated by Spanish-based players, including Lionel Messi, the 2023 winner, the only nominee playing outside of Europe, having joined Inter Miami in the United States.
Rodri, who recently secured the Ballon d’Or, is a strong contender for the FIFA Best Men’s Player award. However, he faces tough competition from Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, runner-up to the Spaniard in October’s Ballon d’Or voting. Bellingham, who finished third in the duplicate voting, hopes to make history as the first male English player to win the FIFA Best prize.
In other categories, five Lionesses have been nominated for the FIFA Women’s Awards, with the winners set to be decided by a combination of fan votes, current national team captains and coaches, and media representatives. Pep Guardiola of Manchester City has again earned a nomination for the Best Men’s Coach award after winning the 2023 honour. He will compete with notable figures such as Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti, Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso, Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni, and Spain’s Luis de la Fuente.
In the Best Men’s Goalkeeper category, three Premier League keepers have made the shortlist: David Raya of Arsenal, Ederson of Manchester City, and Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez. Other nominees include Andriy Lunin from Real Madrid, Gianluigi Donnarumma of Paris Saint-Germain, Mike Maignan of AC Milan, and Unai Simon from Athletic Bilbao.
The 2024 FIFA Best Awards nominations reflect a broad range of global football talent, with both established stars and rising stars vying for recognition across several categories.
