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FIFA Announce Top Three For The Best Male Player Of The Year Award

FIFA Announce Top Three For The Best Male Player Of The Year Award

The FIFA awards take place on September 23rd.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Virgil van Dijk, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will compete to be named as FIFA's 'The Best Male Player of the Year' as the three were announced as the final three.

Last week Van Dijk was named as UEFA's Player of the Year after helping Liverpool win the Champions League and was their stand out performer all year.

As well as becoming European champions for the sixth time the defender, who was the first in his position to win the UEFA award, was integral to the Reds' brilliant Premier League campaign, where they finished second, and also to Netherlands run to the final of the Nations League.

He would be the first defender to win the world award since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.

Messi was once again the driving force behind Barcelona winning La Liga and the five time Ballon d'Or winner scored 36 goals as Ernesto Valverde's team defended their title.

Throwing away their first leg semi final lead against Liverpool in the Champions League, losing the Copa del Rey final and being knocked out of the semi-final of the Copa America with Argentina in the summer may count against Messi.

Ronaldo, who won the first two 'Men's Player of the Year' awards under its current guise and finished second to Luka Modric last year, won Serie A with Juventus in his first season in Italy last year and helped Portugal to Nations League success, though he didn't play in the Group Stage.

Like Messi, the Portuguese forward might be held back by failure in club cup competitions with the Old Lady losing in the quarter finals of both the Coppa Italia and Champions League to Atalanta and Ajax respectively.

Van Dijk with his award. Image: PA Images
Van Dijk with his award. Image: PA Images

FIFA's awards, which take place on September 23rd, will crown the best men's and women's player of the year, as well as best coaches, best goalkeepers and best goal awards.

England Women's team are represented in both the managers' and players' award with Phil Neville and Lucy Bronze respectively nominated after the Lionesses run to the semi-finals of this year's World Cup.

Bronze won the UEFA Women's Player of the Year, making it a clean sweep for defenders, but will she and Van Dijk win again this month?

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Football News, FIFA, Lionel Messi, Virgil Van Dijk, The Best, Cristiano Ronaldo

Ryan is a writer for SPORTbible. He covers all sport from football, formula one, cricket, rugby, tennis, athletics, mma and wrestling. He obviously hates YOUR football team and has no interest in synchronised swimming.

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