Messi, Mbappe, Ronaldo & Salah all nominated for The Best And it seems Los Blancos don't want any imposters trying to claim they play for them -- because they are paying that $50-a-month fee for every player to keep their blue ticks -- as shown by Karim Benzema's account. "To play at that level for Manchester United at 37 is unbelievable, but we're judging him against the player he was before that. Well, the numbers suggest so, with just four players in the top 20. The next 15 names, ranked from 26th to 40th also feature some incredible talents, with the likes of Didier Drogba, Sergio Aguero and Gareth Bale. (1:51). Messi 3. 10 Stars Who Played With Cristiano Ronaldo But Said Lionel PL relegation fight: What are the remaining games? Ronaldo leapfrogs Messi as best-paid footballer with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi resume their rivalry after being named on the shortlist for The Best FIFA Men's Player award, world football's governing body announced on Wednesday. Arsenal's free-scoring Dutch forward Vivianne Miedema also made the shortlist along with Sam Kerr who won the FA Women's Super League last season with Chelsea. The list also shows the recent dominance of Man City, with three of the names ranked from 41st to 60th having lined up for the blue half of Manchester. 1. He's the modern-day version if you like. Neymar; 24. Why Man City are favorites vs. Real Madrid in UCL semis (1:33), Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar left unverified on Twitter Blue, but Real Madrid pay up for players, Liverpool, Tottenham put on a show as Klopp goes overboard, Bundesliga title twists, Haaland scores No. Mbappe - Goal of the Year! Lewandowski was a firm favourite for the Ballon d'Or award before it was scrapped this year for the first time in its 64-year history because of the coronavirus. Zinedine Zidane is keen on a return to football management this summer but is fully aware his next role will not be at Real Madrid. Players Ronaldo and Messi were drawn to face off in the Champions League group stage this season when Juventus were drawn against Barcelona in Group G. Ronaldo missed the opening game at Camp Nou on Oct. 28, a 2-0 win for Barca, after testing positive for COVID-19. "I think we are already in that era now," says Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher. How Ronaldo made it in Manchester, became a Madrid and Juve goal machine, Lionel Messi's evolution as a player: From Ronaldinho's Barcelona understudy to GOAT candidate, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "To get to those levels, Mbappe is going to have to win three or four Champions Leagues, he's got to score 30 to 40 goals a season for a decade, and he's probably got to go and do it in a country other than France. They can pay another $50-a-month for every individual they want to keep their blue tick. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher explains why Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe are the two strongest contenders to the crown of worlds best player, following Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's dominance. Does the Premier League lack a face? Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe all feature in list of players with the most Man-of-the-Match awards since 2009. One advantage Mbappe has over Salah is his age. That's been a problem for a lot of players, not just him.". Lionel Messi returns to Spain on Wednesday when Paris Saint-Germain face Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, the scene of some of the most iconic performances of his incredible career before he swapped Barcelona for Paris. His former teammate, Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara, was also nominated. "He left that maybe for selfish reasons to become the Ballon d'Or winner and try to take Paris Saint-Germain to a Champions League. "With Mbappe, we see that the French league is a level down, but what he's done in the Champions League, his performance against Real Madrid in the first leg, just tells you how special this guy is. 50, Sources: Slot rivals Nagelsmann for Spurs job, Arrest made after fan wields chainsaw in stands, Wolfsburg beat Arsenal to book UWCL final spot, Kealia, J.J. Watt invest in PL-bound Burnley, Sources: Wrexham rewarded with Vegas trip, Arteta: Unsatisfied Arsenal can still win PL title, Leeds players 'sorry' after video of snubbing fans, Ancelotti echoes Giannis comments on 'failure', The VAR Review: Red cards for Jota, Skipp; Richarlison penalty claim, Man United end Villa's run, take step towards top-four finish against backdrop of fan protests, When goal celebrations go bad: Liverpool boss Klopp pulls hamstring, LIVE Transfer Talk: Man United, PSG to battle for Abraham, Bayern back in charge, Yamal makes history, Napoli's party spoiled: Weekend Review, Man City go top of Premier League as Haaland scores 50th goal in win at Fulham. Bayern Munich's treble-winning Robert Lewandowski will battle it out with Juventus star Ronaldo and Barcelona's Messi after finishing as top goal scorer in the Champions League and Bundesliga last season. "He wouldn't put himself in that bracket - he's got great humility. They meet again on Dec. 8. Brentford player ratings (4-3-3) GK: David Raya - 5/10 - Barely troubled for the most part. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. Madrid bounce back after Girona shock as Benzema rewrites record books, As 15-year-old Lamine Yamal makes history, Barcelona get back on track over hapless Betis, Pulisic, Maguire, Van de Beek among players who need a new club this summer, How to fix Europe's heavyweights, from Chelsea and Liverpool to PSG, Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only), ESPN+ viewer's guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more, Goal of the Year! Leicester City and Everton faced off in the weekends final Premier League fixture on Monday. Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland vying to usurp Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as world's best. Mbapp HM: Griezmann/Modri Missed league games hurts Ney but he played 43 games total anyway & by far highest performance level when he did play + WC boosts him quite a bit cuz he had by far the best WC of the top 4. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window). Arsenal's free-scoring Dutch forward Vivianne Miedema also made the shortlist along with Sam Kerr who won the FA Women's Super League last season with Chelsea. Only in Spanish, however. SUITA, JAPAN - JULY 25: Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain in action during the preseason friendly between Paris Saint-Germain and Gamba Osaka at Panasonic Stadium Suita on July 25, 2022 in Suita, Osaka, Japan. "But I think the season Salah is having, and the numbers he's got compared to anyone else in the Premier League, which is the best league in the world right now, just shows how far ahead of everybody else in the Premier League he is. Joining them on the shortlist are Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, who reached the Champions League final with PSG, while Liverpool's Premier League winning trio of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane also made the cut. Arsenals dream of reaching a first Womens Champions League final since their 2007 triumph came to an end after Pauline Bremers extra-time goal saw Wolfsburg beat the Gunners 5-4 on Cameras catch Jordan Pickford's ingenious system to save Leicester pen. There is, however, no place for Neymar, who finished third in last year's voting, after an injury-hit season with PSG and difficult World Cupthat saw Brazil knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Belgium. For Carragher, though, his numbers are most important. He missed out by virtue of the award being cancelled in the pandemic-hit year before that. "I think of Michel Platini when I was a youngster. This portion also features a strong Chelsea contingency, with four of the 15 names featured having played for the London outfit. Shaka Hislop explains why Manchester City have the edge over Real Madrid in the Champions League. 'Lionel Messi Is Like Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah And Ronaldo, who has his own perfume, underwear, eyewear brands and hotel and gym businesses, is said to be the first athlete to ever make $1bn in pre-tax earnings. Already lost it once, not scared of not having it anymore I'm not paying for this weird ideas lol. "I think the toss-up for me would be between Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe," says Jamie Carragher; "there is no doubt Salah is world class, but Mbappe has got something different," says Gary Neville. "But if you said to me I could sign one player for Manchester United tomorrow, I would still probably go for Mbappe or Haaland over Salah. But, at 34, a player who dominated the sport for well over a decade together with Cristiano Ronaldo returns to the Spanish capital having only scored seven times in 24 games for PSG this season. With Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski and Neymar also vying for the title of world's best, are we entering a new era in the battle for football's biggest individual prizes? Liverpool star breaks record for most left-footed goals, Run, Robben, Run! 1. Messi, who left boyhood club Barcelona for PSG this summer, earns around 81m-ayear through his wages and sponsorships a decrease on last year due to the wage cut he has taken at his new club. "What Ronaldo and Messi have achieved is out of this world, the numbers have been unrelenting, obscene.". A former Manchester United striker, who played with Cristiano Ronaldo at two clubs, believes FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has all the talents that the Five victories in the group stage and a draw against Real Madrid saw PSG progress to the final 16. Arjen Robben; 21. Among the women's best player nominees are European and French champions Lyon's captain Wendie Renard and former team mate Lucy Bronze, who moved to Manchester City. Messi is currently 131 awards ahead of Ronaldo in second. I think he went for the wrong reasons. "I like the fact he doesn't care what anyone thinks. At 22 years of age, he's is on the good side of the age cut-off which is under-24 now, following the postponement of the Olympics from summer Salah 4. They meet again on Dec. 8. Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, the Premier League's player of the year last season, also made the shortlist as did Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos. His former teammate, Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara, was also nominated. Lewandowski missed out to Messi in the Ballon d'Or voting last year. FIFA The Best: FIFA Awards 2023 After ending the year with the most coveted World Cup in hand, it was expected that the magician Lionel Messi would win FIFA The Best player award.However, the final scoring points of the top 3 players were quite close. Meanwhile, Hansi Flick, who took charge of Bayern in November last year, is nominated for the best men's coach along with Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, Leeds United's Marcelo Bielsa, Zinedine Zidane of Real Madrid and Sevilla's Europa League-winning coach Julen Lopetegui. Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, the Premier League's player of the year last season, also made the shortlist as did Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos. "He gets a little bit of criticism at different times, maybe because he didn't become the best player in the world. Many of Mahrez's City teammates suffered the same fate with the likes of Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne losing their ticks in one fell swoop. While everybody from Bill Gates to Kim Kardashian to the pope had their ticks taken away as part of the sitewide cull, a slightly odd turn of events saw three celebrities -- all of whom had been vocal in their criticism of the Twitter Blue scheme -- get their subscriptions paid for by Musk himself. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah are among the nominees for The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year award for 2018. "It just felt fitting that he would play his whole career for one club so I'm sad that didn't happen in the end. The numbers are extraordinary. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images), 3. The most prominent example is NBA superstar LeBron James, who previously greeted news of an imminent subscription fee by announcing to his 52 million followers that he had zero intention of stumping up $8 every month to keep his tick. It was Kylian Mbappe, Messi's PSG team-mate, whose stunning goal gave the French giants their first-leg advantage back at the Parc des Princes and the 23-year-old is not the only player now seeking to usurp Messi and Ronaldo at the summit of the world's game. "He was in a brilliant team at that time with Suarez and Messi as a front three and Barcelona the best team in the world. That means Real Madrid are paying Twitter an incredible $1,000-a-month (plus tax) to be, well, the real deal. But while Real Madrid have paid top dollar to show their stars' accounts are genuine, Barcelona have shunned the new pay-for-a-tick scheme. Mbapp HM: Griezmann/Modri Missed league games hurts Ney but he played 43 games total anyway & by far highest ', Brecel holds off Selby fightback to win World Snooker final, Arteta: This is not over | Lampard: Arsenal still in the title race. It is also a chance for Neymar. Philipp Lahm; 17. You can't teach that. I think he's a top player. "He had a brilliant season in his last season at Barcelona, with the numbers you would always expect him to get, but it hasn't quite clicked for him at Paris Saint-Germain, maybe for a number of reasons. "It's not a Liverpool thing, I think Salah is absolutely amazing, but I just think Mbappe has got the ability to be out-of-this-world special. This is what went down. Who is the world's best player? Scorers: Sync Arsenal suffer extra-time loss as Wolfsburg reach Womens Champions League final. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. Cristiano Ronaldo is comfortably the most followed sportsperson on Twitter with a fanbase of around 108.3 million, but even the Portuguese star has seen his verified status vanish into the ether. "Unfortunately, that's the way it is for these guys who have dominated for so long. Manchester United ace Paul Pogba is seventh on 24m-a-year, while Real Madrids Gareth Bale is the highest-ranked British player in ninth with expected earnings of 23m. (1:51), FIFA Best: Messi vs. Ronaldo rivalry resumes, Liverpool, Tottenham put on a show as Klopp goes overboard, Bundesliga title twists, Haaland scores No. Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Mbappe: 20 players with most MotM Naturally, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are ranked No.1 and No.2 respectively, with the Al Nassr superstar beating the Paris Saint-Germain man to top spot, according to Foot Goal. 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Salah and [Sadio] Mane are now doing that at Liverpool, [Raheem] Sterling at Manchester City - they are scoring a load of goals from the wide striker position, and that is all because Ronaldo and Messi have set that expectation at that level. - Play responsibly | 18+ Only | https://t.co/TPg8xsbpGs@blazecom pic.twitter.com/47O5SlqbhM. "You would be naming players other than Ronaldo and Messi, and that is the clearest sign that while these two are still operating at the highest level, they are fading from the levels they were at before. 50, Klopp says referee has agenda against Liverpool, Haaland equals PL goal record as Man City go top, Man United beat Villa to bolster top-4 bid, Napoli's title party on hold after late equaliser, Bayern win to overtake Dortmund atop Bundesliga, Wilson double puts Newcastle on brink of Champions League, Spain FA chief: Messi return would be 'welcomed', IWL 2023: News, Schedule, Scores, Results, Points table, Man United in pole position for top four, but can't take their eyes off Liverpool, The VAR Review: Red cards for Jota, Skipp; Richarlison penalty claim, Moment of the Weekend: Golazo from the muchacho - Alvarez's screamer has City dreaming again, Haaland first to 50, Benzema hat-trick takes him fourth, Ronaldo ends drought: Stats, Bayern back in charge, Yamal makes history, Napoli's party spoiled: Weekend Review, Liverpool rescue three points, chase top-four finish after surviving epic Spurs comeback, Man United end Villa's run, take step towards top-four finish against backdrop of fan protests, Madrid bounce back after Girona shock as Benzema rewrites record books, As 15-year-old Lamine Yamal makes history, Barcelona get back on track over hapless Betis, AFC Cup playoff: Diego Mauricio hat-trick powers Odisha into Asia after 3-1 win over Gokulam Kerala, LIVE Transfer Talk: Man United, PSG to battle for Abraham. Summary Given all statistical values we believe that Junior Neymar is the better player at the moment. The next 20 names also make for some rather interesting reading, with 11 of the players ranked, such as Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane, still plying their trade in the Premier League at the moment. Ronaldo has faced huge scrutiny since his return to Manchester United, his performances put under the microscope and his suitability to the side, at 37, discussed ad nauseum despite his continued scoring feats. Julien Laurens debates whether Erling Haaland would be a better signing than Lionel Messi. "A World Cup-winner already, and it will be interesting to see where he is playing his football next season.". Netherlands, Bayern great finishes marathon in under 3 hours. When can Manchester City win the Premier League title? PSG wants to play the round of As incredible as Ronaldo is, something tells us he will never catch up with Messi Zlatan and Hazard are the only two players to have reached 100 Man-of-the-Match awards or more since 2009. Son, Suarez, WSL stars up for FIFA Puskas Award. Carragher described Salah as the best player in the world in October following his dazzling performance in Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Manchester City at Anfield but he sees Mbappe as the Egyptian's main competition for the crown. 50, Sources: Slot rivals Nagelsmann for Spurs job, Arrest made after fan wields chainsaw in stands, Wolfsburg beat Arsenal to book UWCL final spot, Kealia, J.J. 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Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric also makes the final 10 as he claimed Champions League gloryand played a pivotal role in Croatia's run tothe World Cup final - ending the competition as the Golden Ball winner as the tournament's best player. It is in the Champions League, though, that he has shone most brightly, contributing four goals and four assists in the group stage before his sensational, solo winner in the last-16 first-leg clash with Real Madrid, the club desperate to sign him this summer. Son, Suarez, WSL stars up for FIFA Puskas Award. Ronaldo (R9) 16. In terms of goals and goal involvements per 90 minutes, the four most prolific seasons of his career have all come in the last five years. - ESPN+ viewer's guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more Neymar, Lewandowski and De Bruyne all make the top 10, while Mbappe, despite only being 23, is 18th having been named Man-of-the-Match 58 times since making his professional debut in 2015. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah are among the nominees for The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year award for 2018.