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The FIFA Best Player Awards ceremony will be held on December 17th. With the Ballon d'Or being cancelled, all eyes are on FIFA's showpiece event and fans will be waiting with bated breath to see who will be crowned The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year in 2020.
FIFA released a 11 man nominee list in November and a 3 man shortlist will be announced on December 11th. The nominees include the usual suspects like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Robert Lewandowski along with some other surprising names.
Without much ado, let us take a look at the FIFA Men's Best Player Award Power Rankings for the month of December.
#11 Thiago Alcantara
Thiago played a starring role in Bayern Munich's Champions League triumph, but injuries have restricted his appearances for Liverpool in the second half of this year.
Calm, composed and always seeming to find the right pass, Thiago played the role of a deep laying playmaker to perfection for Bayern Munich. An integral part of their historic treble winning campaign, Thiago's incisive passing and ability to keep things ticking over helped Hansi Flick's side dominate the midfield battle.
After making a much anticipated move to Liverpool, Thiago has been out of action with a knee injury sustained during the Merseyside derby. Although Thiago Alcantara had a spectacular season for Bayern Munich, he is only at #11 in our power rankings.
#10 Virgil van Dijk
Another Liverpool player who suffered an unfortunate injury, Virgil van Dijk was the leader of the Liverpool defence which conquered the Premier League in 2019/20. A signing which completely transformed the Liverpool backline, Van Dijk was ever present during Liverpool's historic 2019/20 season playing every minute of their Premier League campaign.
The Dutch centre-back was pretty consistent in his performances and always provided confidence and calmness to the Liverpool backline. A true leader on the pitch, Van Dijk suffered a potential season ending injury when he clashed with Jordan Pickford in the Merseyside derby.
Van Dijk could have been higher on the list if he had not been injured and played more in recent weeks.
#9 Sadio Mane
An integral part of Liverpool's amazing attacking trio, Sadio Mane has not been at his very best in the last few weeks. The Senegalese forward was arguably Liverpool's most important player last season scoring some crucial goals and causing opposition defenders plenty of problems.
This season, however, Mane has failed to replicate the same electric form and has only scored 5 goals in 16 appearances so far.
The pacy forward still remains a threat to defenders though and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that his star man gets back to his best soon.
#8 Kylian Mbappe
Paris Saint-Germain's boy wonder Kylian Mbappe will definitely be winning this award someday in the future. However, the French forward finds himself at number 8 in our power rankings list.
Mbappe has been in fine form in Ligue 1 scoring an incredible 10 goals in just 9 appearances so far. However, he has struggled to have the same impact in the UEFA Champions League where he could manage to score only 2 goals in the group stages.
The 21-year-old has the world at his feet and PSG will be hoping that he fires them to a Champions League title this season.
#7 Kevin De Bruyne
Arguably the best midfielder in world football right now, Kevin De Bruyne is undoubtedly one of Pep Guardiola's most important players. Blessed with incredible vision and passing skills, De Bruyne equalled Thierry Henry's record for most number of assists (20) in a single Premier League season during the 2019/20 campaign.
Having initially started this season slowly, the Belgian midfielder has started to show his class by putting in some world class performances in the last few matches.
With 6 assists in 9 appearances so far in the Premier League, De Bruyne is on track to have a record breaking season once again.
#6 Sergio Ramos
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos drops one spot from last month's rankings as he missed a few games through injury. Ever dependable and always chipping in with crucial goals, Ramos played a vital part in Real Madrid's incredible LaLiga triumph last season.
A true leader on and off the pitch for Los Blancos, Sergio Ramos is quite simply one of the best centre-backs of this generation. The 34-year-old Spaniard is a big match player and always seems to deliver when it matters the most.
With Real Madrid struggling for consistency this season, Zidane will be hoping that his captain puts up inspirational performances once again and leads Los Blancos to another LaLiga or Champions League triumph.
#5 Neymar
There is no doubting Neymar's talent and in the last few months, the Brazilian has shown the footballing world what he can be capable of when he plays at his best.
The Brazilian superstar seems to have matured a lot in the last year and he looks determined to guide PSG to the elusive Champions League title.
Fresh from a hat-trick against Istanbul Basaksehir, Neymar will be hoping to remain injury free and finally match the levels of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the coming months.
#4 Lionel Messi
There was a lot of discussion about Lionel Messi's future in the summer transfer window and that seems to have effected the Argentine maestro's game this season.
Undoubtedly one of the greatest players to ever play the game, Messi, by his own high standards, has failed to live up to expectations this season. The Barcelona 'number 10' has struggled to inspire the struggling Catalan giants as they have stumbled to some surprising defeats under Ronald Koeman.
Having put up some impressive numbers individually in 2019/20, Lionel Messi will be hoping to rediscover his joy for the game and get back to top form sooner rather than later.
#3 Mohamed Salah
Some people might be surprised to see Mohamed Salah so high up the list, but the Egyptian has been on fire for Liverpool in the last few months. Looking extremely sharp in front of goal, Salah has continued to torment defenders and has evolved his game to become a more complete player.
The 'Egyptian King' has started this season in blistering form and remains Liverpool's most potent attacking threat. The Reds' squad has been ravaged by injuries but Salah has stepped up to the plate scoring an incredible 9 goals in 10 appearances in the Premier League this season.
Mohamed Salah is definitely not a one season wonder.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is a phenomenon. The Portuguese superstar has shown no signs of slowing down and has been at his lethal best for Juventus this season.
Ronaldo has continued to dominate the game even at the age of 35. The legendary Portuguese footballer has already scored 12 goals in 10 appearances for Juve and looks determined to score many more.
Having got the better of his eternal rival Lionel Messi in the Champions League, Ronaldo will be determined to go all out and prove to the world once again why he is one of the best footballers to ever grace the game.
#1 Robert Lewandowski
Was there ever any doubt as to who would head this list? Robert Lewandowski has continued to put up astonishing numbers. The Polish striker has undoubtedly been the best and most consistent performer in 2020 and is the odds on favourite to claim this prestigious award.
German and Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus had no doubt as to who would win the award. Speaking to FIFA, Matthaus said:
"For me it can only be Robert Lewandowski. It’s clearer than it’s been in recent years. He won every title, scored lots of decisive goals and was top of the scoring charts. He’s got everything you need to give a player this award. Nobody comes close to him, neither in Germany nor in Europe."
Wining The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year award would be a fitting way to cap off a glorious year for Robert Lewandowski.
