Agência Brasil – Brazil have seven representatives in The Best, an International Football Federation (Fifa) award for the highlights of the year. The nominations were published on Thursday (12). Three of them are fighting for the first places of the season in men (Neymar and Vinícius Júnior) and women (Debinha).

Goalkeepers Alisson and Ederson compete for the best position award. Sweden’s Pia Sundhage, coach of the women’s national team, is in the running for the title of best coach. Striker Richarlison is vying for the Puskás award, for the best goal, thanks to Brazil’s second goal volley in the 2-0 victory over Serbia, in the Qatar Cup debut. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on February 27 in Paris (France).

In the dispute for The Best Male, Neymar (third in 2015 – when the award was with the Ballon d’Or by France Football magazine – and 2017) and Vini Jr. will face Argentinians Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez, England’s Jude Bellingham, Frenchmen Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappé, Belgian Kevin de Bruyne, Norwegian Erling Haaland, Moroccan Achraf Hakimi, Pole Robert Lewandowski, Senegalese Sadio Mane, Croatian Luka Modric and Egyptian Mohamed Salah.

Voted best in the world six times and main name for Argentina by winning the Qatar Cup, Messi appears as a favorite, with Benzema (high point of Spanish Real Madrid by winning the Champions League and winner of the Ballon d’Or 2022) and Mbappe. (top scorer in the World Cup, with eight goals) as their main opponents. The Argentine last won the award in 2019.

In the female category, Debinha was nominated for the first time for The Best, accredited for being the protagonist of Brazil’s title in the Copa América, in addition to being elected in the selection of the best in the North American League. The number 9 shirt of the Brazilian team will have as opponents the English Keira Walsh, Beth Mead and Leah Williamson; Spaniards Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas, Germans Lena Oberdorf and Alexandra Popp, Canadian Jessie Fleming, Norwegian Ada Hegerberg, Australian Sam Kerr, Dutch Vivianne Miedema, American Alex Morgan and French Wendie Renard.

The last winner of the award was Putellas, who won the Ballon d’Or for 2022, but the Spaniard will face tough competition. Mead, Walsh and Williamson were England’s strengths in the Women’s Euro title campaign. As well as being voted the competition’s best, the former was also top scorer, with six goals (and five assists).

In the fight for the position of best goalkeepers, Alisson (winner in 2019) and Ederson will have Moroccan Yassine Bounou, Belgian Thibaut Courtois and Argentinian Emiliano Martínez as rivals. The latter was voted Golden Glove of the Qatar Cup, while Courtois was Real Madrid’s big name in the Champions League final against English side Liverpool.

The world’s best women’s soccer coach in 2012 – when she overtook the United States – and third in 2016, Pia Sundhage has five contenders in the running for second. Three are also national team coaches: Bev Priestman (Canada), Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (Germany) and Sarina Wiegman (England). The other two are Sonia Bompastor, who manages Lyon (France), and Emma Hayes, who manages Chelsea (England) and is the current winner. Last winners in 2020, Wiegman led England to the Euro 2022 title.

Finally, Richarlison’s great goal against Serbia has ten competitors for the Puskás Prize: the Italian Mario Balotelli, the French Mbappé, Théo Hernández, Dimitry Payet and Amandine Henry, the Argentinian Francisco Metilli, the Sudanese Alou Kuol, the Polish Marcin Oleksy, Spaniard Salma Paralluelo and Englishwoman Alessia Russo. The Brazilian is in favor of the goal being voted the most beautiful of the Cup, by popular vote.

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