The coach and captains votes from The Best FIFA Football Awards 2021
Football's biggest stars will be celebrated on Monday night at the ceremony for The Best FIFA Awards 2022.
After last year's virtual event, the 2023 ceremony will be held in Paris where the sport's biggest names will surface in celebration of yet another unforgettable year.
Nine awards will be dished out on Monday night, with the shortlists for each of them being revealed well in advance. There are three nominees for each; with Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, and Kylian Mbappe vying for the Best Men's Player award.
While the Ballon d'Or victor is decided by 100 journalists, this award takes into account the opinions of not only media representatives, but national team coaches, national team captains and fans, too.
While the voting can somewhat be predictable, it's still interesting to see which way coaches and players swing. Here's how some of the most notable national team managers and captains voted last year for the Best Men's Player award.
Who did the world's best coaches and captains vote for at The Best FIFA Awards 2021?
There was plenty of teammate bias on display during last year's voting. Karim Benzema received votes from Real Madrid friends Luka Modric and Eden Hazard, as well as compatriot Hugo Lloris.
Robert Lewandowski received the backing of former Bayern Munich teammates Manuel Neuer and David Alaba, while Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo also opted to vote for the eventual winner of the award.
Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson were loyal to Mohamed Salah, while Lionel Messi voted for longtime friend Neymar just ahead of Kylian Mbappe.
Player voting | Player voted for |
|---|---|
Eden Hazard (Real Madrid) | Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) |
Luka Modric (Real Madrid) | Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) |
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) | Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) |
Manuel Neuer (Bayern) | Robert Lewandowski (Bayern) |
David Alaba (Bayern) | Robert Lewandowski (Bayern) |
Harry Kane (Tottenham) | Robert Lewandowski (Bayern) |
Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) | Robert Lewandowski (Bayern) |
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) | Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) |
Andy Robertson (Liverpool) | Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) |
Lionel Messi (PSG) | Neymar (PSG) |
A similar pattern manifests with the managers' votes. Roberto Mancini favoured Jorginho, Roberto Martinez backed Kevin De Bruyne, while Didier Deschamps voted for Benzema.
N'Golo Kante interestingly picked up first-place votes from Louis van Gaal and Fernando Santos; a sign of the respect the Frenchman has garnered among elite-level coaches. Cristiano Ronaldo did not make Santos' top three.
Manager voting | Player voted for |
|---|---|
Roberto Mancini (Italy) | Jorginho (Italy) |
Didier Deschamps (France) | Karim Benzema (France) |
Roberto Martinez (Belgium) | Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium) |
Louis van Gaal (Netherlands) | N'Golo Kante (France) |
Fernando Santos (Portugal) | N'Golo Kante (France) |
Who is expected to win at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022?
Lionel Messi scores 700 club goals in his incredible career — 28 goals with PSG & 672 with Barcelona ⭐️🇦🇷 #Messi
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 26, 2023
Messi has also two assists for Mbappé tonight…
…and Leo’s also gonna win “The Best” FIFA Award on Monday in Paris 🥇 pic.twitter.com/ylyQXbQrgh
Well. Fabrizio Romano has already confirmed that Lionel Messi will win the Best Men's Player award after he inspired Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar.
Messi's inevitable triumph comes as absolutely no surprise, though you can't deny that Mbappe and Benzema have also enjoyed superb years.
Beth Mead has been tipped by many to win the women's award, following England's success at the Euros, but she was beaten to the Women's Ballon d'Or by Alexia Putellas. The Spaniard is also a strong contender here too, with United States legend Alex Morgan considered an outsider to win.
In the manager stakes, Lionel Scaloni's World Cup triumph with Argentina makes him overwhelming favourite to win ahead of Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola, and Sarina Wiegman is in a position after leading England's women to European Championship glory.
Thibaut Courtois and Mary Earps could be the winners in the goalkeeper category.
When are The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022?
All the winners of FIFA's The Best awards 2022 will be crowned on Monday 27 February.
The ceremony, which is held in Paris, will kick off in the evening local time. Last year, it began at 18:00 GMT / 19:00 CET / 13:00 ET / 10:00 PT.
Where to watch The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022
FIFA's official YouTube channel will be streaming The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 live.