The Best 2018: FIFA announces 10 finalists for best player award

The FIFA has announced the 10 finalists for The Best 2018, the award for the best player of the year that was founded by the highest governing body of football after separating from France Football in 2016. Previously, it was called FIFA Ballon d'Or.

In the list, Cristiano Ronaldo, winner of the two previous editions (2016 and 2017), Croatian Luka Modric, French Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé and Raphael Varane, Belgians Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard; Argentine Lionel Messi, English Harry Kane and Egyptian Mohamed Salah are included.

The big absentee is Neymar. The Brazilian star did not have a good season with PSG and was heavily criticized during the World Cup for excessive simulation of fouls.

The jury

The FIFA has gathered 13 of the best footballers in history to create the list of ten nominees for The Best. They are: Ronaldo Nazario, Fabio Capello, Kaká, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Lothar Matthäus, Alessandro Nesta, Carlos Alberto Parreira, Sami Al Jaber, Cha Bum-Kun, Andy Roxburgh, and Wyton Rufer.

How is it chosen?

The winner of the FIFA Best Player award is selected by the aforementioned jury, the current captains of the affiliated male national teams, a specialized journalist representing each country, and fans from around the world. However, there are some restrictions:

a. Captains of the national teams can vote for the coach of their represented team.

b. Captains and nominated coaches are not allowed to vote for themselves.

c. Specialized journalists can vote for players and coaches from their own country or those representing clubs that participate in their country's tournaments.

d. Only fans registered on FIFA.com (entering here) can vote for players and coaches, as long as the votes are fair and in accordance with these rules.