FIFA announced today, Thursday, the list of players nominated for “The Best” awards for 2025, clarifying that the selections were based on the period from August 11, 2024, to August 2, 2025.
The list of nominees for the Best Player in the World award included 11 players, including four players from Paris Saint-Germain: “Vitinha, Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembélé, and Nuno Mendes.”
The list also included three players from Barcelona: “Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, and Pedri,” in addition to Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, a Liverpool player, Englishman Cole Palmer, a Chelsea player, and Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, a Real Madrid striker.
From the German league, FIFA chose Englishman Harry Kane, Bayern Munich’s top scorer.
Ousmane Dembélé is considered the favorite to win the award, especially after winning the Ballon d’Or for 2025, surpassing Lamine Yamal and Vitinha.
But last year saw different winners of the two awards, as Spaniard Rodri won the Ballon d’Or, while Brazilian Vinicius Junior won “The Best” award.
Kooora.com reviews the lists of nominees for the most prominent awards in the men’s category, which came as follows:
Best Player: Raphinha – Kylian Mbappé – Mohamed Salah – Achraf Hakimi – Nuno Mendes – Harry Kane – Lamine Yamal – Vitinha – Ousmane Dembélé – Pedri – Cole Palmer.
Best Coach: Arne Slot – Enzo Maresca – Luis Enrique – Hansi Flick – Roberto Martinez – Mikel Arteta – Javier Aguirre.
Best Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer – Wojciech Szczęsny – David Raya – Thibaut Courtois – Emiliano Martínez – Gianluigi Donnarumma – Yann Sommer – Alisson Becker.
Honoring the Best
“The Best FIFA Football Awards” are considered among the most important individual awards in the world of football, as FIFA grants them annually to recognize the players, coaches, goalkeepers, and fans who have performed outstandingly during the season.
These awards were officially launched in 2016 after FIFA separated from the French magazine “France Football,” which previously shared in presenting the Ballon d’Or award.
Through “The Best,” FIFA wanted to create an independent identity of its own, highlighting the achievements of everyone who contributes to the game, both on and off the field.
The awards include various categories, most notably: Best Player (male and female), Best Coach (men’s and women’s), Best Goalkeeper, the Puskás Award for the most beautiful goal, as well as awards for sportsmanship and fans.
The winners are determined through a joint vote between coaches, national team captains, journalists, and fans, making the results more comprehensive and reflecting the opinions of various parties involved in the game.
Since their inception, the awards have witnessed fierce competition between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the early years, before new names such as Robert Lewandowski and Vinicius Junior emerged.
Despite some criticism about the selection criteria, “The Best” has become a global platform to celebrate excellence and creativity, and gives fans the opportunity to participate in honoring their favorite stars, remaining an annual testament to the history of modern football and its true heroes.
Those present within the 2024 awards
Brazilian Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid star, won the Best award last year, surpassing Spaniard Rodri.
Also from Real Madrid, Italian Carlo Ancelotti won the Best Coach award, while Argentinian Emiliano Martínez, Aston Villa’s goalkeeper, won the Best Goalkeeper award for the second time.
Usual appearance
Since his rise to stardom in recent years with the Argentine national team, Emiliano Martínez, Aston Villa’s goalkeeper, has become one of the prominent names present in the “The Best” awards lists organized by FIFA, thanks to his consistent performance and strong personality in goalkeeping.
Martínez’s brilliance began with the Argentine national team in the 2021 Copa América, where he played a crucial role in his country’s crowning as champions after a long absence, thanks to his brilliant saves in the penalty shootout against Colombia in the semi-finals, and his solid performance in the final against Brazil.
This achievement opened the doors for him to the world, leading him to be nominated for the Best Goalkeeper in the World award as part of The Best awards for 2021.
But his real peak was in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he was one of Argentina’s heroes on their way to the title.
His crucial saves in the final against France, especially his legendary save against Kolo Muani in the dying moments, earned him the Golden Glove award, before officially winning the title of Best Goalkeeper in the World for 2022 from FIFA.
Since then, Martínez has become a permanent guest on the nomination lists, whether with Aston Villa in the English League or with his national team, due to his strong presence, courage, and steadfastness under pressure.
His repeated presence among the “Best” is no longer a surprise, but has become a recognition of his status as one of the most prominent goalkeepers of his generation, despite his declining level and frequent mistakes in the recent period.
