Benzema and Mbappe To Battle Messi For FIFA Men's Best Player Award

The trio were whittled down from a list of 14 players following a stellar year for club and country.

The 2022 awards takes into consideration performances between August 2021 and December 2022.

In a World Cup year, Messi will be considered by many as favourite for the award after captaining Argentina to their third global title in Qatar.

The Paris Saint Germain star scored seven goals and provided three assists for his teammates and was named player of the tournament.

Mbappe was also instrumental in France's failed quest to retain their world title, scoring eight goals, including a hattrick in the final against Argentina.

Benzema might have missed out on the World Cup at the eleventh hour due to injury, but the 35-year-old was the inspiration behind Real Madrid winning the UEFA Champions League and La Liga. 

Benzema scored an incredible 44 goals in 46 appearances last season and was named winner of the Ballon D'or in October.

Robert Lewandowski won last year's FIFA Men's best player award while playing for Bayer Munich.

Elsewhere, Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and Lionel Scaloni will compete for coach of the year award.

A ceremony to announce the winners will be held on February 27.