Professionals from all over the world will gather this Thursday at the Madinat Jumeirah complex in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) for the eighth edition of the "Globe Soccer Awards," which recognize the best players, clubs, coaches, agents, and referees in the world.

Among the 2017 candidates are stars of the caliber of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Paulo Dybala, Gigi Buffon, Neymar, Sergio Ramos, and Mbappé, and coaches such as Conte, Allegri, Mourinho, and Zidane.

The candidates have been chosen by the jury of the "Globe Soccer Awards," which includes coaches, directors, and presidents of international football teams, who have established the selection criteria.

Since the names of the nominees were made public, the two that are most talked about on social media are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

But in addition to awarding the already known stars, the awards also seek to recognize other people who make the world of football turn.

The awards were first presented in 2010 and to this day have 13 categories.

The award ceremony will begin at 7:00 pm local time (3:00 pm GMT) with a gastronomic show, featuring the participation of some of Dubai's best chefs, who will offer an interactive dinner with typical dishes from different countries.

Also, an auction will take place to raise funds for the charitable organization "Dubai Cares."

At the same time, this Wednesday and Thursday, the twelfth edition of the Dubai International Sports Conference takes place, which offers workshops and talks by presidents, directors, coaches, and football players from around the world.