Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo & Griezmann, finalists for FIFA's 'The Best'
The three man shortlist for the award, which will be given out in January, has been revealed
FIFA have revealed their three man shortlist for ‘The Best’ awards, with the winner being announced at a gala in Zurich on Jan. 9.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann are the three players up for the prize, selected from a list of 23 players by captains and managers of every national team, journalist and users of FIFA’s website.
FIFA have given a brief review of each players’ year…
Cristiano Ronaldo
“The Portuguese has had an outstanding year in continental competitions, securing his third Champions League title, his second for Real Madrid, finishing as top scorer with 16 goals on the way to the final – in which the Portuguese scored the winning penalty in the shootout against Atletico Madrid. Six weeks later, he captained his country to their first major trophy, scoring three goals to help his side to a final where he was restricted to just 25 minutes of action, but provided a memorable performance in helping to cajole his team to victory from the sideline.”
Antoine Griezmann
“After steadily improving in recent years, he announced himself as one of the world’s outstanding players this year thanks, in part, to his performances on home soil at EURO 2016. The forward, often found in a ‘9.5’ role between the forward line and midfield, was top scorer in the tournament. The Frenchman also ended the 2015-16 season as his club side’s top goalscorer, helping Atleti to third in La Liga.”
Lionel Messi
“Argentina and Barcelona’s talisman Messi had yet another phenomenal year, guiding his side to a league and cup double, scoring 26 goals in an incredibly tight La Liga title race, and captaining his country to the final of the Copa America Centenario. Ultimately, the national team glory with Argentina he craves was denied him by Chile once more, with La Roja defeating La Albiceleste on penalties in the finale. It was, however another fruitful year for the No10, who stepped past Gabriel Batistuta as his country’s outright top goalscorer during the Copa America Centenario.”
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