Football Stars Shine at FIFA’s Prestigious Awards as Nominations Announced for 2024 Honors
Football’s biggest stars have earned nods for the highly acclaimed 2024 FIFA Awards, with Nigerian players taking center stage. The recognition, announced by FIFA recently, highlights the outstanding achievements of the players over the past year.
Among those nominated is Ademola Lookman, who boasts an impressive 14th-place finish in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings, landing a spot in the Best Attacker category alongside globally renowned talents like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, Vinicius Junior, and rising star Lamine Yamal.
William Troost-Ekong’s exceptional defensive skills earned him a nomination for the Best Defender award, a coveted category featuring some of the world’s top defenders.
Asisat Oshoala takes the stage as a contender for the newly introduced Marta Award, honoring the best goal in women’s football. Her breathtaking, acrobatic strike for Barcelona Femeni in November 2023 clinched her spot among the nominees.
In the male categories, Rodri, winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or, will compete with the likes of Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Toni Kroos, and Federico Valverde for the Best Player award.
Urging fans to exercise their right to vote, FIFA announced that polls for the 2024 FIFA Awards are now open and will remain so until December 10, 2024. Visit the FIFA website to cast your ballots and help decide this year’s winners.
Full List of Nominations
The nominees for the Best FIFA Awards are as follows:
- The Best FIFA Women’s Player:
- Aitana Bonmati (Spain), Barcelona
- Barbra Banda (Zambia), Shanghai Shengli/Orlando Pride
- Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway), Barcelona
- …
- The Best FIFA Men’s Player:
- Dani Carvajal (Spain), Real Madrid
- Erling Haaland (Norway), Manchester City
- Federico Valverde (Uruguay), Real Madrid
- …
- The Best FIFA Women’s Coach:
- Arthur Elias (Brazil), Brazil
- Elena Sadiku (Sweden), Celtic
- Emma Hayes (England), Chelsea/USA
- …
- The Best FIFA Men’s Coach:
- Carlo Ancelotti (Italy), Real Madrid
- Lionel Scaloni (Argentina), Argentina
- Luis de la Fuente (Spain), Spain
- …
- The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper:
- Alyssa Naeher (USA), Chicago Red Stars
- Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany), Chelsea/NJ/NY Gotham
- Ayaka Yamashita (Japan), INAC Kobe Leonessa/Manchester City
- …
- The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper:
- Andriy Lunin (Ukraine), Real Madrid
- David Raya (Spain), Arsenal
- Ederson (Brazil), Manchester City
- …
