The Best FIFA Men's Player Award: How were Benzema, Mbappe & Messi determined finalists?

Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, and Lionel Messi were named as the three finalists for the Best  FIFA Men's Player Award 2022. The award is given to the best men’s footballers for their performance from the period of 8 August 2021 to 18 December 2022. The time period encompasses the 2021-22 football season, while also including the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar.

As per FIFA, 14 players were nominated for the prestigious award by an expert panel. An international jury comprising men’s national team coaches, men’s national team captains, football journalists, and fans. As enlisted by FIFA, here’s a look at the factors that come into play while determining the  Best FIFA Men’s Player Award finalists.

“From the 14-player shortlist, each voter made their first, second and third choices for the prize.

Points were given to nominees depending on where they were placed (five points for first, three for second, and one for third).

Nominated national team captains could not vote for themselves.

Selections from the four voting groups – coaches, captains, journalists, and fans – each counted for 25 percent of the total vote, irrespective of the number of voters from each group.

The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award will be presented to the individual with the most points.

If finalists are tied on points, the award will be bestowed on the individual who has received the most first-choice selections”.

The Best FIFA Men's Player Award Finalists in Focus

Karim Benzema had an amazing 2021-22 season, where he led Real Madrid to the La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles. He won the best player award at the UCL for being the top scorer with 15 goals. He netted a total of 27 times in the Spanish competition and was also awarded the Ballon d’Or 2022 award.

Seven-time Lionel Messi claimed his dream of winning a FIFA World Cup title with the Argentine side in 2022. He won the Golden Ball prize for being the best player of the tournament, while he also overtook German legend Lothar Matthaus for making the record no. of appearances at the marquee tournament. He also became the only player to score at the World Cup in his teens, 20s, and 30s.

On the other hand, Kylian Mbappe took the 2018 World Cup champions to another FIFA World Cup final in 2022. He won the golden boot at the tournament, while also registering a hat trick in the final. He also scored 39 goals and assisted 26 times for PSG in the Ligue 1 2022-122 season.