LONDON: Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Croatia midfielder Luka Modric (Real Madrid) and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) were shortlisted on Monday for The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award for 2018.
The three finalists were announced at an event in London in the presence of football greats, including Peter Schmeichel, Sol Campbell, Nwankwo Kanu, and Kelly Smith, reports Efe.
Modric, who was recently named UEFA player of the year, and Salah, who led Liverpool to reach the UEFA Champions League final, have been shortlisted for this award for the first time, while Cristiano has won back-to-back awards in the last two years.
As for The Best Men’s Coach Award, the shortlist included former Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane, France’s Didier Deschamps, and Croatia’s Zlatko Dalic.
Zidane could be awarded the trophy for the second straight year after he led Real Madrid to claim a third consecutive Champions League title. Deschamps is also a favorite to get the award after winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France, while Dalic led Croatia to reach its first-ever World Cup final.
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), France’s Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur) and Denmark’s Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City) have been shortlisted for The Best FIFA Goalkeeper Award. The winners will be unveiled on September 24 at a ceremony organized at London’s Royal Festival Hall.