Fifa's best player: Harry Kane, Eden Hazard, Mohamed Salah & Cristiano Ronaldo head shortlist

Last updated on 24 July 2018.From the section Football100

England's Harry Kane features on a 10-man shortlist for the Best Fifa Men's Player award for 2018.

Chelsea's Eden Hazard, Mohamed Salah of Liverpool, Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne and new Juventus signing Cristiano Ronaldo are also included.

England full-back Lucy Bronze is on the shortlist for the best women's player.

Tottenham forward Kane, 24, won the Golden Boot at the World Cup in Russia with six goals as England achieved their best finish since 1990.

He went into the World Cup on the back of registering his first 30-goal haul in a Premier League season.

And Kane maintained that form at the finals, becoming the first English player to win the top scorers' prize since Gary Lineker in 1986.

Best Fifa football awards shortlist

Fifa has named its shortlist for best men's player of 2018, but who do you think has been the best? Rank the players in order.

Hazard, 27, won the FA Cup with Chelsea in May and then collected the Silver Ball in Russia after inspiring Belgium to third - their best World Cup finish.

Salah, 26, also enjoyed a prolific campaign. The Egyptian scored 46 times for club and country during 2017-18, helping Liverpool to the Champions League final in his first season at Anfield.

Belgium midfielder De Bruyne, 27, played a prominent role in a record-breaking season for City, who accumulated the most points and wins in a Premier League season.

It was also a landmark year for five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese scored 54 goals in 54 games in all competitions, spearheading Real Madrid's triumph in the Champions League and the Fifa Club World Cup.

Voting for the award closes at midnight on 10 August, while the awards ceremony takes place in London on 24 September.

Full shortlist

Cristiano Ronaldo - Juventus & Portugal
Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City & Belgium
Antoine Griezmann - Atletico Madrid & France
Eden Hazard - Chelsea & Belgium
Harry Kane - Tottenham & England
Kylian Mbappe - Paris St-Germain & France
Lionel Messi - Barcelona & Argentina
Luka Modric - Real Madrid & Croatia
Mohamed Salah - Liverpool & Egypt
Raphael Varane - Real Madrid & France

Bronze's reward for fine season

Bronze's inclusion on the women's best player shortlist caps a fine 12-month period for the right-back.

The 26-year-old won a French league and Champions league double during her first season at Lyon after leaving Manchester City for France last August.

She is one six Lyon players nominated alongside Ada Hegerberg, Saki Kumagai, Dzsenifer Marozsan and French duo Amandine Henry and Wendie Renard.

Full shortlist

Lucy Bronze - Lyon & England
Pernille Harder - Wolfsburg & Denmark
Ada Hegerberg - Lyon & Norway
Amandine Henry - Lyon & France
Samantha Kerr - Perth Glory/Chicago Red Stars & Australia
Saki Kumagai - Lyon & Japan
Dzsenifer Marozsan - Lyon & Germany
Marta - Orlando Pride & Brazil
Megan Rapinoe - Seattle Reign & USA
Wendie Renard - Lyon & France

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100 comments

Laughable that some posters think this is about the World Cup.
It's not only about the World Cup and if it were then Messi shouldn't be in the list either.

Not a Spurs fan, but Kane has been consistently knocking in the goals in the Premier league so arguably should get consideration, granted he is never going to win.

Got to be Modric or Salah for me, but you know Fifa can't overlook their favourites so will still likely be Messi or Ronaldo
Kane haters trying to make out this list is solely based on the WC. He scored over 50 goals in a year, pipe down please.
"Got to be Modric or Salah for me,"

You're entitled to your opinion, but would be interested to hear your reason for putting these two in front of Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo scored more goals than Salah for his club and performed at the wc too. Modric had a better wc mostly because his team stayed in but would be difficult to say he was more important to Real than Ronaldo.
@5 Tony Bailey

It's not just about the World Cup is it you dullard? Despite the fact he did score more than anyone there his stats for the whole season including international were 52 goals in 59 games. He's a beast asnd he's on there because the WORLD football fraternity agree he should be.
@26. weasel - What it does mean is that he scores goals with more consistency than anyone else, which funnily enough is the aim of the game! Good grief, that is why he is on the list! But, I guess you think he is a 4 season wonder and he will be found out next season? Laughable...
Kante still being overlooked as normal, not always about the goals.
He'll still be smiling with his World cup and FA cup though
Don't know how many matches KDB played over the course of the season, he just seems to have been really good in every single appearance.
@48. robin - "Thought Neymar was the World Best." At what? Diving? Rolling around the floor like he's been shot? maybe he should be in the list for Oscar nominations?
Kane only gets in because he scored 52 goals in 2018, clearly an average Joe...
I can see it being Mbappe. He's the next cash cow they need to prepare for milking.
I think that's intentional. It's all about maximising hype for the sponsors. Many people only watch football during the World Cup so they try and get mileage out of that before the forget about it again for 4 years.

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"36. IssP227
4 minutes ago
I do find it stupid that a calendar year award is voted on in July.
Too often I feel that votes are strongly swayed by the world cup
Who would have though that someone that scores goals by the hatful all season, every season at every level would be on a football shortlist? Madness!
I wish people would engage brain before posting stupid and incorrect comments. This award is for best player of 2018. Kane is there because of his goal tally in 2018, it is NOT just the World Cup. If you think he is overrated that is up to you. However you cannot take away from the fact that he has scored 52 goals in 59 appearances, which puts him on the list. Get a grip!
Just for once it would be nice to recognise the importance of other players on the pitch. Not everything is about scoring goals, there is a top scorer trophy for that.
Varane has won CL and WC this year and was absolutely superb.
Modric CL winner and superb again in the WC.
All the anti-Spurs bitters make me laugh. 52 goals in 59 games speaks for itself.

Jealous rival fans think they know more than those deciding the list! Hahaha

Talking of overrated and overpaid: Where is Ozil? Hahaha. Mid-table Europa league non-entity!!!
Go Lucy...britain's finest.
Best in the World Cup doesn't mean best in the world. Messi didn't have a great world cup, but he's still the world's best.

At the WC, Hazard was the best, closely followed by de Bruyne, and Belgium were the most gifted team.

Salah should be in the running, too. If we really have to have a Frenchman, then Kante.
I think we should all be celebrating the fact we finally have an Englishman who can score 50 plus goals a year, whatever your colours. But even with mine being Lillywhite, I can’t help but think Salah edges this one. What a list, good company to be mentioned alongside either way.
Attaching womens football news to mens just feels to forced to me. Whats next, the shortlist for footballers who who arnt sure if there male or female? Shortlist for footballers in shampoo comercials? In otherwords attach what ever crap u like to a mens game article!
Confuseddotcom

How you been me old mucker?
Finally found a thread you could wedge your anti-England hate speech into again. You must of been crawling the walls. If anything though, the time away has made you even more sad and desperate. Anyway, good catching up.

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