Names of these people including Messi shortlisted for FIFA's The Best Men's Player Award

The trio of world superstars were selected from an original list of 14 entries thanks to a equally shared vote between national team coaches, captains, journalists and fans

Unlike the finalists for the Best Womens Award, there were no surprises in the male category, with Messi, Mbappe and Benzema the standout performers between the dates of August 2021 and 18 December 2022.

Arguably the favourite to go on and win the award, Messi of course celebrated his first ever World Cup triumph on 18 December, having a huge hand in Argentinas victory along the way.

While Mbappe was on the receiving end of that defeat, his hat-trick in the final capped off an impressive individual year for club and country.

His France team-mate Benzema, who was absent in Qatar through injury, celebrated a career milestone himself, winning his first Ballon dOr in October following a stellar season with Madrid.

Mbappe is joint-sixth with Pele in the World Cup’s all-time goalscoring chart, having netted 12 times in the tournament.

Results of the final award will be published in full following the awards ceremony on 27 February.