Best FIFA Awards 2020 Finalists - Ranked
By Ali Rampling
The finalists for the 2020 Best FIFA Awards were announced on Friday, with the nominees for best coach, best player and best goalkeeper in the men's and women's game plus the goals for the Puskas Award whittled down to a three-person shortlist.
The winners will be announced on 17 December in a virtual ceremony broadcast live from Zurich.
There is an absolute plethora of footballing talent to sift through, so let's take a look at the contenders and how they match up.
The Best FIFA Women's Player
3. Lucy Bronze
It's been another stunning year for Bronze, who won her third successive Champions League, her third successive Division 1 Feminine and her second successive Coup de France Feminine as Lyon stormed to a second successive treble.
The marauding right back was an integral part of the French giants' outrageous success, with her athleticism and drive making her unplayable at times. Bronze returned to Manchester City in the summer - just in time to lift the 2019/20 FA Cup.
2. Pernille Harder
Harder has already scooped the UEFA Women's Player of the Year Award this season, beating Renard and Bronze to the coveted prize.
The Danish forward hit 38 goals in 33 games for Wolfsburg as her side completed the double - including nine goals in seven Champions League appearances as her team were beaten in the final by Lyon. Four of these goals came in a stunning individual performance against Glasgow City in the quarter finals.
1. Wendie Renard
Renard is an institution. The Lyon centre back has guided her side to a remarkable five consecutive Champions League crowns and been influential in the club's extraordinary dominance over the past decade.
Renard in immovable at the back, a towering presence that few find their way past. She also popped up with Lyon's crucial semi final winner against PSG.
The Best FIFA Men's Player
3. Lionel Messi
The Argentinian will be bidding to defend his crown, having scooped the award in 2019. He has won a combined eight Ballons d'Or, FIFA Word Player of the Year and Best FIFA Men's Player awards.
Despite the turbulence occurring behind the scenes at Barcelona, Messi was still able to turn in an astonishing 2020, finishing as La Liga's top scorer and top assist provider with 25 goals and 21 assists.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo sent records tumbling during 2019/20, becoming the fastest player to hit 50 goals in Serie A history and the first ever player to reach a half century in Serie A, La Liga and the Premier League.
The 35-year-old found the net 31 times as Juventus secured a ninth successive Scudetto, and also surpassed a century of goals for Portugal.
1. Robert Lewandowski
2020 was Robert Lewandowski's year. The Bayern Munich forward hit a ridiculous 55 goals in 47 games as his side surged to a famous treble.
Lewandowski lifted the Champions League, Bundesliga and DfB-Pokal - and was top scorer in each competition. That's one hell of a season.
The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper
3. Christiane Endler
Endler was nominated for the award last season and carried on from where she left off during the 2019/20 campaign.
The PSG goalkeeper conceded just seven goals in 16 matches as her side narrowly lost out on the Division 1 Feminine title to Lyon.
2. Alyssa Naeher
The USA international was part of the Chicago Red Stars team that finished as runners up in the 2019 NWSL season.
Naeher's side also finished as runners up in the the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, and she turned in a player of the match performance during their quarter final victory over OL Reign.
1. Sarah Bouhaddi
Bouhaddi was in between the sticks as Lyon recorded another flawless season domestically and in Europe.
She conceded just four goals in 16 league matches and kept five clean sheets in seven Champions League outings to secure her seventh winners medal in the competition.
The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper
3. Jan Oblak
The Atletico Madrid goalkeeper did not miss a minute in La Liga during the 2019/20 campaign and conceded just 27 goals in 38 matches.
Oblak kept 17 clean sheets and became the fastest goalkeeper to reach a century of clean sheets in La Liga history as Atletico finished third. He has carried on from where he left off this term, shipping just four goals in 11 matches.
2. Alisson Becker
Liverpool were crowned champions of England for the first time in 30 years during the 2019/20 season, winning the Premier League title at a canter.
Alisson was a key cog in the Reds' title winning side, keeping 13 clean sheets in 29 games - three away from claiming the Golden Glove despite missing part of the campaign through injury.
1. Manuel Neuer
Given the remarkable success Bayern Munich enjoyed during the 2019/20 campaign, it is unsurprising that they could claim an awards clean sweep on Thursday evening.
Neuer was instrumental in Bayern's extraordinary treble-winning side, conceding just 31 goals in 34 Bundesliga matches. He kept 27 clean sheets in all competitions for club and country, also captaining Germany to qualification for Euro 2020.
The Best FIFA Women's Coach
3. Sarina Wiegman
Sarina Wiegman has transformed the landscape of women's football in the Netherlands, turning her country into a force to be reckoned with despite being in charge for less than four years.
The international calendar was decimated by COVID-19, but Wiegman was still able to steer the Netherlands through qualification for Euro 2022 with a 100% record.
2. Emma Hayes
The Chelsea boss continues to reinvent standards in English football as the Blues set the bar season after season in the WSL.
The 2019/20 season saw Hayes guide Chelsea to a gripping Continental Cup final triumph and the WSL title (donating their prize money to domestic abuse charity Refuge). Should Chelsea avoid defeat against Tottenham on Sunday, they will have gone the entire calendar year unbeaten in the league.
1. Jean-Luc Vasseur
What do you do when placed in charge of the greatest women's football team on the planet who have done nothing but win trophies for the last 10 years?
Win some more.
Vasseur was appointed Lyon boss in the summer of 2019 and seamlessly led them to a domestic treble, playing sharp, scintillating football along the way. He continues to build a team that no one can contend with.
The Best FIFA Men's Coach
3. Marcelo Bielsa
The alarming absence of Dean Smith aside, Bielsa's nomination is a result of picking Leeds up from their playoff heartache and guiding the Yorkshire side back to the top flight after 16 long years.
The eccentric Argentinian did it all on his own, quirky terms as Leeds claimed the Championship title, and the Premier League have since been treated to a weekly dose of 'Bielsa ball'.
2. Jurgen Klopp
Klopp masterminded Liverpool's 2019/20 title winning campaign as the Reds' 30-year wait to be crowned champions of England came to an end.
Liverpool did not just win the Premier League title, they completely brushed aside any competition and effectively had it wrapped up by Christmas. Top flight records were sent tumbling, and Liverpool went on to break the club's all-time unbeaten home league record at Anfield in November.
1. Hans-Dieter Flick
Flick was only named Bayern boss in November 2019. By the end of the season, they had lost just two games under his tutelage, going on a long unbeaten run from December through to the conclusion of the 2019/20 campaign.
They won every single game in the Champions League en route to being crowned champions of Europe, including a stunning 8-2 win over Barcelona in the quarter finals. Bayern finished the season with a treble and will go down as one of the greatest club sides in history. All this with Flick being just thrown in at the deep end three months into the season.
The Puskas Award
3. Giorgian De Arrascaeta – Ceará SC v. CR Flamengo
Flamengo's Giorgian De Arrascaeta scored his side's third in the 97th minute during their 3-0 win over Ceará SC in August 2019. It is the very reason why you should never leave a football match early.
The attacking midfielder was picked out by Rafinha on the edge of the box - the right back's cross slightly behind him. De Arrascaeta subsequently back peddled, before unleashing a stunning overhead kick into the top right hand corner.
2. Luis Suárez – FC Barcelona v. RCD Mallorca
Suarez's goal is a mesmeric piece of skill. It's like Shane Warne's ball of the century - you have to watch it again and again in an attempt to comprehend how the Barcelona man actually pulled it off.
The Uruguayan forward collected Frenkie de Jong's pass with his back to goal, before producing an outrageous back heel to send the ball looping into the net.
1. Son Heung-min – Tottenham Hotspur FC v. Burnley FC
It's impossible to call. Son versus Suarez is a moment of genuine prolonged brilliance versus a flash of outrageous audacity.
Son's goal is a stunningly complete piece of genius; the close control, the balance, the belief, the skill and the bursts of acceleration as he strides forward from the edge of his own area and carries the ball the length of the pitch, before having the composure to cooly stroke home. And all the more impressive given it was against Sean Dyche's usually rigid banks of four.