The Best FIFA Men's Player of 2016 Shortlist Has Been Announced

It was only a few days ago when FIFA announced its own yearly awards after parting with the Ballon d’Or. Titled The Best FIFA Football awards, the governing body has recently announced the candidates competing for The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2016 award. The winner will be crowned at the inaugural ceremony being held in Zurich on Januray 9, 2017.

The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2016 will be determined through a combined voting process, in which 50% of the decision will be based on the votes of captains and head coaches from national teams around the globe. The other 50% will be split between an online public ballot with football fans and submissions from a selected group of over 200 media representatives around the world. Voting for player of the year in 2016 starts today and closes on November 22. Read more about voting here.

Check out the list below, composed of 23 players chosen by FIFA’s expert football committee. Did your favorites make the list?

Sergio Agüero – Argentina/Manchester City
Gareth Bale – Wales/Real Madrid
Gianluigi Buffon – Italy/Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal/Real Madrid
Kevin De Bruyne – Belgium/Manchester City
Antoine Griezmann – France/Atlético Madrid
Zlatan Ibrahimović – Sweden/Paris Saint-Germain/Manchester United)
Andrés Iniesta – Spain/FC Barcelona
N’Golo Kanté – France/Leicester City/Chelsea
Toni Kroos – Germany/Real Madrid
Robert Lewandowski – Poland/FC Bayern Munich
Riyad Mahrez – Algeria/Leicester City
Lionel Messi – Argentina/FC Barcelona
Luka Modrić – Croatia/Real Madrid
Manuel Neuer – Germany/FC Bayern Munich
Neymar – Brazil/FC Barcelona
Mesut Özil – Germany/Arsenal
Dimitri Payet – France/West Ham United
Paul Pogba – France/Juventus/Manchester United
Sergio Ramos – Spain/Real Madrid
Alexis Sánchez – Chile/Arsenal
Luis Suárez – Uruguay/FC Barcelona
Jamie Vardy – England/Leicester City