Shortlist for The Best FIFA Awards 2021 announced

FIFA have announced the finalists for The Best FIFA Player Awards in both male and female categories, with the respective honours due to be handed out on January 17.

This award was created by FIFA to try and wrestle popularity away from the Ballon d'Or award handed out by France Football magazine, and has been running since 2016.

The names for the three finalists of The Best FIFA Men's Player are as follows:

Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich)

Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona & Paris Saint-Germain)

Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)

The Argentine and the Pole were first and second in the 2021 Ballon d'Or, with Salah finishing in seventh.

Captains and coaches of every national team affiliated with FIFA will vote for the winners of The Best, with each getting to choose three players and points are awards depending on their classification in the votes.

So first will be given five points, three points to second on the list and one to third place. The only condition of voting is that you cannot vote for a player from the same national team.

With regards to the female award, the three finalists for The Best FIFA Women's Player have been named as follows:

Jennifer Hermoso (Spain/Barcelona)

Sam Kerr (Australia/Chelsea)

Alexia Putellas (Spain/Barcelona)