The Best Fifa awards LIVE: Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, and Kylian Mbappe nominated for top men’s prize

The seventh annual Fifa Best Awards takes place this evening with a host of football’s biggest stars, including the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, nominated for the top prizes. Three finalists in each category have been confirmed ahead of the ceremony in Paris.

France’s Karim Benzema, along with Messi and Mbappe has been nominated for the Best Fifa Men’s Player award whilst England’s Beth Mead is competing against the USA’s Alex Morgan and 2021 winner Alexia Putellas for the Fifa Best Women’s Player award. Elsewhere, England boss Sarina Wiegman is nominated for Fifa Best Women’s Coach and the Puskas Award will be handed out to the male or female judged to have scored the “most beautiful” goal of the calendar year.

This year saw major tournaments in both men’s and women’s football meaning men’s World Cup winners Argentina and England’s Euro 2022-winning Lionesses are both in line for a trophy-laden night. The great and the good will all be gathered in Paris for a ceremony that should celebrate a fantastic year of football.

Follow along with out live blog as the Fifa Best award winners are announced:

Fifa Best Awards

• The Fifa Best Awards ceremony takes place in Paris

• Lionel Messi wins the award for Best Fifa Men’s Player for his heroics during the Qatar World Cup

• Alexia Putellas wins Best Fifa Women’s Player Award for second year running

• Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe all included in Men’s World XI

• Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Keira Walsh and Beth Mead all named in Women’s World XI

• The Argentina Fans win the Fifa Fan Award for their antics during the World Cup

• Luka Lochoshvili wins the Fifa Fair Play Award

• Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni wins the Best Men’s Coach Award

• Sarina Wiegman is awarded the Best Women’s Coach prize for the third time

• Polish amputee Marcin Oleksy wins Puskas Award for ‘most beautiful’ goal

• Emiliano Martinez is the Men’s Best Goalkeeper after winning the World Cup with Argentina

• England’s Mary Earps wins Best Women’s Goalkeeper prize in first award of the night

Fifa Best Awards

21:44 , Michael Jones

Lionel Messi wins the Fifa Best Men’s Player Award for the second time. He joins Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo in the exclusive club of two-time winners.

Fifa Best Awards

21:44 , Michael Jones

"Honestly I hadn’t really prepared anything to say," said Barcelona star Alexia Putellas after winning the award for Best Women’s Player. "I just want to say thank you to everyone who voted for me.

"I’d like to start by thanking my family, all of my people, my team mates, staff, the club, the president, everybody who has been with me and everyone who has been working behind the scenes at the club.

"I’d just like to spare a thought for all of those who work tirelessly to support me — they have made me who I am today so thank you to all of those people."

Fifa Best Awards

21:41 , Michael Jones

The Best Men’s Player Award goes to Lionel Messi!

Messi finally got his hands on the World Cup trophy leading his country, Argentina, to victory over France in the final and winning the Golden Ball as Player of the Tournament.

Fifa Best Awards

21:36 , Michael Jones

The final prize of the night is the Best Men’s Player Award. Any one of the three nominees would be a worthy winner but you’d be a fool to bet against Lionel Messi.

The nominees are:

Lionel Messi (PSG, Argentina)

Kylian Mbappe (PSG, France)

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)

Fifa Best Awards

21:34 , Michael Jones

There’s no doubt that Alexia Putellas is a world class player but that one is a slight shock.

Beth Mead was in with a good chance after ending Euro 2022 as the Top Goalscorer and Player of the Tournament.

Fifa Best Awards

21:31 , Michael Jones

Alexia Putellas wins the Best Women’s Player Award! It’s the second consecutive year that she’s taking home the award.

She won the league with Barcelona in 2021-22 and at the age of 29 is widely regarded as one of the best players in women’s football.

Fifa Best Awards

21:29 , Michael Jones

There’s just two awards left to be handed out tonight. First up is the award for Best Women’s Player of 2022.

Beth Mead (England), Alex Morgan (USA) and Alexia Putellas (Spain) are the nominees.

Fifa Best Awards

21:29 , Michael Jones

The Fifa Fifpro Men’s World XI:

Fifa Best Awards

21:25 , Michael Jones

Messi, Benzema, Mbappe and Haaland all included in the Men’s World XI. That’s an obscene attack.

Jermaine Jenas jokes that Casemiro will have to do a lot of defending in this line up and the Brazilian retorts that no-one would be able to get the ball of them.

Fifa Best Awards

21:23 , Michael Jones

The Fifa Fifpro Women’s World XI:

Fifa Best Awards

21:21 , Michael Jones

Men’s World XI: Thibaut Courtois; Achraf Hakimi, Virgil van Dijk, Joao Cancelo; Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric, Casemiro; Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Erling Haaland

Fifa Best Awards

21:19 , Michael Jones

Now is the time for the Men’s Fifpro World XI to be announced, like the Women’s XI this one has been voted for by players around the world.

The Men’s World XI is...

Fifa Best Awards

21:15 , Michael Jones

Argentina’s Fans won the Fifa Fan Award for the support they showed during the World Cup in Qatar.

Fifa Best Awards

21:13 , Michael Jones

Women’s World XI: Christiane Endler; Lucy Bronze, Maria Leon, Leah Williamson, Wendie Renard; Alexia Putellas, Keira Walsh, Lena Oberdorf; Alex Morgan, Sam Kerr, Beth Mead

Fifa Best Awards

21:12 , Michael Jones

Next up is the Fifa Fifpro Women’s World XI. A Reminder that this one is voted for by players around the world. The best XI players in the World are...

Fifa Best Awards

21:08 , Michael Jones

The Fifa Fan Award is given to the Argentina Fans for their support during the World Cup!

They were great in all honesty but Abdullah Al Salmi hiked 1600km from Jeddah to Qatar to watch the tournament. Bit of a shock that one.

Fifa Best Awards

21:04 , Michael Jones

“For the award, it is a huge honour for me, I would like to say thank you,” said Lochoshvili after receiving his award.

“I am really happy for the award but I am more happy that we saved Georg’s life and the most important thing in football is fair play and respect.”

Fifa Best Awards

21:02 , Michael Jones

Luka Lochoshvili wins the Fifa Fair Play Award!

Fifa Best Awards

20:57 , Michael Jones

“The most beautiful thing is making your country happy, your people happy,” says Lionel Scaloni in his speech after winning the Best Men’s Coach Award.

Fifa Best Awards

20:56 , Michael Jones

Sarina Wiegman is the second member of the Lionesses’ winning Euro 2022 to collect an award tonight. Things are looking good for Beth Mead’s chances of taking home the Best Women’s Player Award.

Fifa Best Awards

20:53 , Michael Jones

Sarina Wiegman spoke about developing and improving women’s football during her acceptance speech saying:

“From when I could walk I have loved football. It’s just incredible to be right here and to celebrate women’s football. Little girls have their idols and inspirations. So many people across the world have worked so hard to get the game where it is right now.

“As for last summer, the stadiums were full. Wembley was full and there were so many families in the stadiums celebrating football. Behind me is a big team. Without great players you are nowhere.

“Last but not least, my family have seen me more on TV than at home. Thank you for supporting me.”

Fifa Best Awards

20:52 , Michael Jones

Lionel Scaloni wins the Men’s Best Coach Award!

A triumphant World Cup campaign usually brings with it individual awards and the 44-year-old Scaloni is a worthy winner.

He thanks the 26 players who took Argentina to victory on the World’s biggest stage in Qatar.

Fifa Best Awards

20:49 , Michael Jones

The next award is the Best Men’s Coach.

Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola and Lionel Scaloni are the three nominees.

This one seems like a toss up between Ancelotti, who won La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid, and Scaloni, who led Argentina to victory at the World Cup.

Fifa Best Awards

20:47 , Michael Jones

Poland’s Marcin Oleksy wins the Puskas Award for the most aesthetically pleasing goal of the calender year.

Fifa Best Awards

20:45 , Michael Jones

Sarina Wiegman wins the Best Women’s Coach Award!

It’s the third time she has won the prize having also taken the award home in 2017 and 2020. No-one has won a Fifa Best Award as many times as the current Lionesses boss.

“From since I could walk I’ve loved football and it’s incredible to be here right now to celebrate women’s football,” says Wiegman.

Fifa Best Awards

20:43 , Michael Jones

The Best Women’s Coach Award is up next and could see another win for the Lionesses as Sarina Wiegman made the three woman shortlist.

Here are the nominees:

Sonia Bompastor (Lyon)

Pia Sundhage (Brazil)

Sarina Wiegman (England)

Fifa Best Awards

20:39 , Michael Jones

The Puskas Award goes to Marcin Oleksy!

Marcin scored an incredible goal for the Warta Poznan amputee football team in their win against Stal Rzeszow. He threw himself into the air and finished in spectacular style.

Fifa Best Awards

20:37 , Michael Jones

Next up it is the Puskas Award.

This is awarded to the male or female judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant, or “most beautiful”, goal of the calendar year.

Past winners include Cristiano Ronaldo, Mo Salah and Erik Lamela.

Fifa Best Awards

20:36 , Michael Jones

Emiliano Martinez is the Best Men’s Goalkeeper thanks to his heroics in Argentina’s World Cup winning team.

Fifa Best Awards

20:33 , Michael Jones

England’s Mary Earps collects the award for Best Women’s Goalkeeper.

Fifa Best Awards

20:31 , Michael Jones

Emiliano Martinez wins the Men’s Goalkeeper Award! Martinez was Argentina’s goalkeeper throughout their winning World Cup Campaign.

He made a vital save in the dying minutes of the final to force a penalty shootout which Argentina won 4-2.

Fifa Best Awards

20:29 , Michael Jones

There’s no prizes for guessing which award is up next. It’s, of course, the Best Men’s Goalkeeper award. The nominees for this prize are:

Yassine Bounou (Morocco and Sevilla)

Thibaut Courtois (Belgium and Real Madrid)

Emiliano Martinez (Argentina and Aston Villa)

Fifa Best Awards

20:27 , Michael Jones

Fifa Best Awards

20:26 , Michael Jones

Mary Earps wins the Women’s Best Goalkeeper Award!

She has been brilliant for Manchester United over the last year and was instrumental in the Lionesses’ victory at the 2022 European Championship.

Fifa Best Awards

20:25 , Michael Jones

The first prize of the night is the Women’s Goalkeeper Award. Thje nominees are:

Ann-Katrin Berger (Chelsea)

Mary Earps (Manchester United)

Christiane Endler (Lyon)

Fifa Best Awards

20:58 , Michael Jones

Next up is the Fifa Fair Play Award.

This award honours a fan, team, player, coach, federation or other collection of individuals who “displayed exemplary behaviour which promoted the spirit of the game throughout the year.”

The Denmark national team, medical team and staff won this prize last year for their response following Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.

Fifa Best Awards

20:22 , Michael Jones

The tributes to Pele continue in the form of a Brazilian musician whilst black and white pictures of Pele’s greatest moments are being shown to the audience as he plays.

Fifa Best Awards

20:18 , Michael Jones

Fifa Best Awards

20:17 , Michael Jones

Ronaldo says that Pele left an eternal legacy on football that continues to influence today’s modern players.

Pele’s wife, Marcia Aoki, is now welcomed onto the stage to receive a special award in recognition of her husband’s work and talent.

“It is a big honour to be here,” she says.

Fifa Best Awards

20:12 , Michael Jones

Following a video paying tribute to the footballing genius that was Pele, his compatriot Ronaldo comes onto the stage.

Pele, arguably the greatest player ever, died in December at the age of 82. Jermaine Jenas ask Ronaldo to say a few words about the Brazilian legend.

Fifa Best Awards

20:09 , Michael Jones

“Tonight we celebrate the best, those who make our hearts beat,” says Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, “We have just experienced the best World Cup, an incredible event we will never forget.

“Pele is eternal. He is with us. He will always be with us.”

Fifa Best Awards

20:05 , Michael Jones

The coverage of The Best Fifa Awards has started on the BBC. The hosts Samantha Johnson and Jermaine Jenas introduced Fifa President Gianni Infantino.

He gives a speech about the previous year’s footballing success and finishes off with a tribute to Pele.

Will the Lionesses roar?

19:59 , Michael Jones

It could be a big night for England’s Lionesses.

Beth Mead, Mary Earps and Sarina Wiegman are all up for individual awards whilst, Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Keira Walsh and Ellen White are short-listed for the Best Fifa Women’s XI.

What is the difference between the Ballon d’Or and The Best Fifa Awards?

19:56 , Michael Jones

The Best Fifa Football Awards take place tonight as 2022’s football exploits are celebrated at a glamorous Paris ceremony.

The event was first held on 9 January 2017, as a rebranded revival of Fifa’s World Player of the Year awards which began in 1991 and ceased in 2009.

It is sometimes confused with the Ballon d’Or, an entirely separate prize set up by French magazine France Football in 1956.

Confusingly, the Fifa award and the France Football award merged to briefly become the Fifa Ballon d’Or between 2010 and 2015. This seemed like a simple solution which avoided having two very similar awards ceremonies in the same sport.

However, they were separated once again in 2016 and Fifa went with the simultaneously simple and instantly forgettable name of ‘The Best Fifa Football Awards’, while the Fifa Ballon d’Or returned to being just the Ballon d’Or.

So what are the key differences between the two?

What is the difference between the Ballon d’Or and The Best Fifa Awards?

Fifa Best Awards

19:52 , Michael Jones

Fifa Best Awards

19:48 , Michael Jones

The award ceremony is a little over 10 minutes away from commencing so here’s a reminder of all the nominees and the awards they’re vying to win:

Men’s Player

• Karim Benzema

• Kylian Mbappe

• Lionel Messi

Women’s Player

• Beth Mead

• Alex Morgan

• Alexia Putellas

Men’s Goalkeeper

• Yassine Bounou

• Thibaut Courtois

• Emiliano Martinez

Women’s Goalkeeper

• Ann-Katrin Berger

• Mary Earps

• Christiane Endler

Men’s Coach

• Carlo Ancelotti

• Pep Guardiola

• Lionel Scaloni

Women’s Coach

• Sonia Bompastor

• Pia Sundhage

• Sarina Wiegman

The Fifa Fan Award

19:44 , Michael Jones

The Fifa Fan Award is always worth a mention as is given to person(s) who have shown complete dedication and love for football.

Here are the three competitors and why each has been nominated:

Abdullah Alsulmi

The only individual supporter to have been nominated for the Fan Award is Abdullah Alsulmi. He spent 55 days walking across the Arabian desert to watch Saudi Arabia play at the 2022 World Cup.

This award would be the perfect reward for his 1,600km walk from his hometown, Jeddah, to Doha.

Argentinian fans

During the 2022 World Cup, you would not have to go far to find a group of Argentina supporters. They travelled in significant numbers, made deafening noise and watched their side get their hands on the trophy for the third time.

Japanese fans

In a world where trouble caused by fans often dominates the headlines, the Japan fans were a breath of fresh air in Qatar. After each of their nation’s games, they were seen cleaning up their designated area of the stadium.

Will Guardiola win best coach?

19:40 , Michael Jones

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is one of the three finalists in the men’s coach category hvaing won the Premier League title last season.

He faces stiff competition and looks unlikely to triumph this time around as Lionel Scaloni led Argentina to winning the World Cup in Qatar and Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti clinched a La Liga and Champions League double.

Of the three nominees Guardiola is probably the underdog.

Fifa Best Awards

19:36 , Michael Jones

Famous faces from the footballing world have started to arrive at the ceremony in Paris including former Arsenal boss, Arsene Wnger and ex-England manager Fabio Capello.

Why Beth Mead should win the Best Women’s Player award

19:32 , Michael Jones

Though a close category this trophy has got to go to England’s Beth Mead.

She was the inspiration for England throughout their triumphant European Championship campaign and her performances earned her the Top Goalscorer and Player of the Tournament awards.

A club level she excelled for Arsenal though she was unable to guide the London club to any domestic silverware. Mead was also voted the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year for her success at the Euros.

Towards the end of November, she became the latest high-profile women’s player to rupture her anterior cruciate ligament and the severity of the injury leaves her participation in the 2023 Women’s World Cup in doubt.

Why Alex Morgan should win the Best Women’s Player award

19:28 , Michael Jones

Alex Morgan’s 2022 successes came on the international stage for the United States Women’s National Team.

She was the best player and top goalscorer for her country as the USWNT got their hands on another major honour with Morgan scoring the winning goal from the penalty spot against Canada in the final of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship.

Morgan also captained the USWNT to victory in the 2023 SheBelieves Cup in February though that tournament’s successes won’t count towards this year’s award due being outside of the time-frame for qualification.

The 33-year-old has won the World Cup twice and will be targeting a third successive winners’ medal when she and her team mates defend their title in Australia and New Zealand this June/July.

Why Alexia Putellas should win the Best Women’s Player award

19:24 , Michael Jones

Alexia Putellas is a winner.

In 2022 she captained Barcelona to the Spanish title and was awarded the Ballon d’Or for the second consecutive year.

An ACL injury sustained prior to the Women’s European Championship meant couldn’t play a part in Spain’s campaign which drastically hurt their chances of winning the tournament and they lost to evenutal champions England.

Putellas returned to Barcelona training at the start of this month and will be desperate to impress at the upcoming Women’s World Cup.

Puskas Award nominees

19:20 , Michael Jones

Here’s a look at the three goals that have made it into the final nominations for the Puskas Award.

The first is Dmitri Payet’s strike against PAOK Thessaloniki in last season’s Uefa Europa Conference League.

The second is Richarlison’s effort against Serbia that won the Goal of the Tournament at the 2022 World Cup.

The third is a staggering scissor kick scored by amputee footballer Marcin Oleksy in November.

Previous Puskas Award winners

19:16 , Michael Jones

The Puskas Award is the oldest prize at this ceremony and has been given out since 2009 but was added to The Best FIFA awards from 2016 onwards.

It is the prize given to the player who scored the ‘most aesthetically pleasing’ goal of the year. Here are the previous winners:

2009 — Cristiano Ronaldo

2010 – Hamit Altintop

2011 – Neymar

2012 – Miroslav Stoch

2013 — Zlatan Ibrahimovic

2014 — James Rodriguez

2015 – Wendell Lira

2016 — Mohd Faiz Subri

2017 — Olivier Giroud

2018 — Mohamed Salah

2019 — Daniel Zsori

2020 – Son Heung-min

2021 — Erik Lamela

Previous Best Coach award winners

19:12 , Michael Jones

History could be made in this category as England Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman could become the first person to win the award three times.

She’s already been triumphant in 2017 and 2020 and after leading the Lionesses to victory at Euro 2022 - and their first ever major tournament win - she is a hot favourite to take the award this year too.

Best Men’s Coach winners

2016 — Claudio Ranieri

2017 — Zinedine Zidane

2018 — Didier Deschamps

2019 — Jurgen Klopp

2020 – Jurgen Klopp

2021 — Thomas Tuchel

Best Women’s Coach winners:

2016 — Silvia Neid

2017 — Sarina Wiegman

2018 — Reynald Pedros

2019 — Jill Ellis

2020 – Sarina Wiegman

2021 — Emma Hayes

Previous goalkeeper award winners

19:08 , Michael Jones

A specialised award for goalkeeping was not introduced into the Fifa Best Awards until the second edition in 2017 and it another two years before the women’s game were given their own category.

No goalkeeper has won this award more than once so here’s the list of all the previous winners:

Men’s Best Goalkeeper

2016 — Not awarded

2017 — Gianluigi Buffon

2018 — Thibaut Courtois

2019 — Alisson

2020 – Manuel Neuer

2021 — Edouard Mendy

Women’s Best Goalkeeper

2016 — Not awarded

2017 — Not awarded

2018 — Not awarded

2019 — Sari van Veenendaal

2020 – Sarah Bouhaddi

2021 — Christiane Endler

Why Karim Benzema should win the Best Men’s Player award

19:04 , Michael Jones

This should have been Karim Benzema’s year. 2022 was a defining year for the Frenchman in which he repeatedly showcased his greatness on the way to his first ever Ballon d’Or as well as a fifth Champions League and a fifth La Liga title.

Benzema almost single-handedly took Real Madrid back to the pinnacle of Europe, scoring key goals in contests thought lost as Madrid won a record-extending 14th Champions League.

He was also the leading goalscorer domestically with 27 goals as he and his team mates won the league by 13 points.

An injury to his left thigh that shattered his 2022 World Cup dream and he didn’t play a part in France’s run to the final despite having been named in Didier Deschamps’ squad

Prior to the World Cup, Benzema would have been a shoe-in to add this award to his impressive collection but missing the World Cup will have hurt his chances.

Why Kylian Mbappe should win the Best Men’s Player award

19:00 , Michael Jones

Kylian Mbappe was probably the favourite to win this award before the World Cup started and his performances during that tournament did him no harm on a personal level but France lost to Argentina in the final which could put Lionel Messi ahead of him in the rankings.

Mbappe became just the second man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final and those three goals against Argentina ensured the 24-year-old won the Golden Boot for what little consolation that would have been.

He also won the Ligue 1 Golden Boot as PSG won the title with a healthy 15-point gap to rivals Marseille. This season Mbappe has banged in 29 goals and added seven assists in his 29 games in all competitions for the French champions.

Why Lionel Messi should win the Best Men’s Player award

18:56 , Michael Jones

Lionel Messi ended his year in the perfect way thanks to the 2022 World Cup. He was successful at club level throughout the year with PSG his best moments came in Qatar.

He won the Golden Ball as the best player at the tournament and became the third Argentine to lift the World Cup trophy having defeated PSG teammate - and fellow nominee - Kylian Mbappe’s France in the final.

Messi’s success throughout November and December in Qatar makes him the favourite to lift the Best Men’s Player award later on and if he gets his hands on the top prize this evening, he will join Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski as the only platers to have won it twice.

Who will win The Best Fifa Awards? Predictions as Messi and Mbappe go head to head

18:52 , Michael Jones

The Best Fifa Football Awards take place tonight in a glamorous Paris ceremony inexplicably hosted by Jermaine Jenas.

There are several awards on offer for footballing exploits in 2022. The best men’s and women’s players are the marquee prizes, while the best goalkeepers are also recognised and get their own category. There are awards for the best coaches from the men’s and women’s games, and the Puskas Award celebrates the year’s outstanding goal, before the men’s and women’s world XIs are announced.

Finally there is the Fifa Fair Play Award and the Fan Award. The latter has three nominees: Argentina’s fans for their passionate support at the World Cup; Japanese spectators who were hailed for cleaning up stadiums after their matches; and a man called Abdullah Alsulmi who spent 55 days walking from Jeddah to Doha, across the Arabian desert, to watch Saudi Arabia play in Qatar.

Who will win The Best Fifa Awards? Predictions as Messi and Mbappe go head to head

Tonight’s hosts

18:48 , Michael Jones

The awards ceremony will be hosted by English duo Samantha Johnson and Jermaine Jenas.

Johnson was part of FIFA’s coverage of the World Cup while former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder Jenas is a regular pundit and co-commentator across a number of channels in the UK.

Previous Best Women’s Player winners

18:44 , Michael Jones

Unlike the men’s top prize, no female footballer has won Fifa Best Women’s Player more than once. Spain’s Alexia Putellas could change that this evening as she is nominated alongside Beth Mead (England) and Alex Morgan (USA).

Lucy Bronze took this trophy in 2020 and after inspiring England to victory at Euro 2022 could Beth Mead join her fellow Lioness in winning the award?

Here are the previous winners:

2016 - Carli Lloyd

2017 - Lieke Martens

2018 - Marta

2019 - Megan Rapinoe

2020 - Lucy Bronze

2021 - Alexia Putellas

Previous Best Men’s Player winners

18:40 , Michael Jones

The 2022 ceremony is the seventh edition of The Best FIFA awards after they were introduced in 2016. Only four male players have won the Fifa Best Men’s Player, Cristiano Ronaldo (x2), Luka Modric, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski (x2).

Here’s the full list of previous winners:

2016 - Cristiano Ronaldo

2017 - Cristiano Ronaldo

2018 - Luka Modric

2019 - Lionel Messi

2020 - Robert Lewandowski

2021 - Robert Lewandowski

Should Lionel Messi win the award again tonight he will join Ronaldo and Lewandowksi as the men to win it multiple times but if he loses then there will be a new name added to the list, either Karim Benzema or Kylian Mbappe.

Final nominees for the Puskas Award

18:36 , Michael Jones

• Marcin Oleksy (Poland): Warta Poznań v. Stal Rzeszów [PZU Amp Futbol Ekstraklasa] (6 November 2022)

• Dimitri Payet (France): Olympique de Marseille v. PAOK Thessaloniki [UEFA Europa Conference League] (7 April 2022)

• Richarlison (Brazil): Brazil v. Serbia [FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022] (24 November 2022)

Who has been nominated for Fifa Best Women’s Goalkeeper?

18:32 , Michael Jones

• Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany/Chelsea)

• Mary Earps (England/Manchester United)

• Christiane Endler (Chile/Lyon)

Who has been nominated for Fifa Best Men’s Goalkeeper?

18:28 , Michael Jones

• Yassine Bounou (Morocco/Sevilla)

• Thibaut Courtois (Belgium/Real Madrid)

• Emiliano Martinez (Argentina/Aston Villa)

Who has been nominated for Fifa Best Women’s Coach?

18:24 , Michael Jones

• Sonia Bompastor (Lyon)

• Pia Sundhage (Brazil)

• Sarina Wiegman (England)

Who has been nominated for Fifa Best Men’s Coach?

18:20 , Michael Jones

• Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid)

• Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)

• Lionel Scaloni (Argentina)

Who has been nominated for Fifa Best Women’s Player?

18:16 , Michael Jones

• Beth Mead (England/Arsenal)

• Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride /San Diego Wave)

• Alexia Putellas (Spain/Barcelona)

Who has been nominated for Fifa Best Men’s Player?

18:12 , Michael Jones

• Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid CF)

• Kylian Mbappé (France / PSG)

• Lionel Messi (Argentina/PSG

What awards will be handed out?

18:08 , Michael Jones

There will be 11 awards handed out in total with two being team awards and the Best Fifa Fan award going to a dedicted supporter of football.

They are:

• The Best Fifa men’s player

• The Best Fifa women’s player

• The Best Fifa men’s coach

• The Best Fifa women’s coach

• The Best Fifa men’s goalkeeper

• The Best Fifa women’s goalkeeper

• The Best Fifa Puskas award

• The Best Fifa fan award

• Fifa Fifpro men’s world XI

• Fifa Fifpro women’s world XI

• Fifa Fair Play award

When are the Fifa Best awards?

18:03 , Michael Jones

The 2022 Fifa Best Awards will be handed out at a ceremony on Monday, 27 February 2023 in Paris.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the ceremony live on the BBC via the red button or BBC iPlayer, with coverage from 8pm BST.

The Fifa Best Awards 2022

17:32 , Michael Jones

Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s live blog coverage of The Fifa Best Awards which celebrate the achievements in football over the last year.

This year’s award ceremony covers the accomplishments of the athletes between 8th August 2021 and 18th December 2022 including the Women’s Euro 2022 tournament and the Men’s World Cup 2022.

There are 11 awards up for grabs including the Fifa Best Player for both men and women, the Puskas Award for ‘most beautiful’ goal scored as well as dedicated awards for goalkeepers and coaches.

It is set to be a ceremony of glitz and glam with the biggest stars such as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in attendance in Paris. The ceremony itself kicks off at 8pm and can be viewed online via the BBC iPlayer.