The shortlist for the Best FIFA Men's Coach Award have been revealed, and three of arguably the best managers in the previous year have been named. Portugal coach Fernando Santos, Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane and Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri are the three managers to be nominated for this year’s edition.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos had a great year, guiding Portugal to their first European Championship win. Very few expected the country to make a podium finish, but the manager was instrumental in guiding his side all the way to the finals.
With Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo captaining the side, the club progressed in the most unlikely of journeys. Despite the talismanic forward getting injured in the final and not having a significant impact in proceedings, Santos made arguably the best decision of his career. He sent on Eder, whose extra-time winner proved to be the decider for the country.
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Zinedine Zidane's story with Real Madrid seemed to end when the player hung up his boots. Not many expected him to be managing the Real side at any stage, let alone be a part of the club. The man's meteoric rise to the top has been nothing short of an inspiring story. The Frenchman started off by managing the club's reserve side, Castilla.
In less than two years he saw himself at the dugout of Santiago Bernabeu once again, not as a player, but as the manager. He guided the star-studded squad to a Champions League final, his first as a coach, as they swept aside Atletico Madrid in a penalty shootout.
Leicester City’s fairytale earns Ranieri a reward
Not many need an introduction to Leicester City's fairytale last year. People have been mesmerized by what can be only called a true underdog story. The Foxes clinched their first top flight title in the club's 130-year history. Despite clearly being outsiders, they reached unscalable heights with an Italian mastermind at the helm.
Claudio Ranieri surpassed superlatives with what he achieved with the club in 2015. The club never went below sixth, and with supposed mediocre players hitting the best of form, Leicester City went on to win the title by a massive margin of 10 points.
The winner of the award will be decided by votes from captains and coaches of national teams, along with specific members of the media and fans voting on FIFA.com. The award will be given to the nominated in Zurich on the 9th of January.
