Messi, Neymar Battle Ronaldo for FIFA Best Player Award

By Duro Ikhazuagbe
Portugal and Real Madrid star, Cristiano Ronaldo, will be filled with anxiety this evening as the Best FIFA Football Awards hold at the world famous London Palladium.
 Ronaldo who loves winning personal laurels will be hoping to retain his crown as FIFA men’s player of the year.
The former Manchester United forward has real challenge coming from the duo of Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Paris St Germain’s Brazilian Neymar
The ceremony is the second since the FIFA award once again split from France Football’s Ballon d’Or prize.
Ronaldo has scored 44 goals for club and country so far in 2017 and scored twice in the Champions League final in June as Real won the competition for a record-extending 12th time.
Messi has hit 50 goals for Barca and Argentina while Neymar, the world’s most expensive player after he left Barcelona for PSG in the summer, has 25 goals to his name for Barca, PSG and Brazil.
Other categories to be rewarded include; Women’s Player; Deyna Castellanos, Carli Lloyd and Lieke Martens. Men’s Coach shortlist include; Massimiliano Allegri, Antonio Conte, and Zinedine Zidane
Women’s Coach nominees are; Nils Nielsen, Gerard Precheur and Sarina Wiegman
Gianluigi Buffon, Keylor Navas, and Manuel Neuer are in the battle for the Goalkeeper award.
For the Puskás award; ​Deyna Castellanos, Olivier Giroud and Oscarine Masuluke are the top three listed.
The best Fan Award is a straight fight between ​Borussia Dortmund supporters and Celtic supporters.  FC Copenhagen supporters are the third shortlisted cheer members for the award.
According to FIFA statement at the weekend, the host of the evening event is Golden Globe and SAG-winning actor Idris Elba, who has appeared in high-profile films such as The Mountain Between Us, Beasts of No Nation and Thor, not to mention the critically acclaimed television series Luther.
A passionate Arsenal supporter, Elba counts Ian Wright, David Seaman and Thierry Henry among his all-time favourite Gunners.

Joining Elba will be additional presenter Layla Anna-Lee. The London-born Brazilian television presenter and social media star was chosen by director Danny Boyle to narrate the Olympic Opening Ceremony in London 2012 to a global audience of one billion.
 

Related Articles