FIFA The Best: Who will be crowned the world's best player?

'Who is the best player in the world?' is an article headline or social media video title we're now very accustomed to seeing. It is also the most common debate among fans. FIFA, the governing body of football, holds a yearly award ceremony to announce precisely this. The 'FIFA The Best' awards will take place in February, and with eight illustrious categories to choose from, it should settle the debate for 2023 at least.

Fans, international players, international managers, and media representatives vote for winners in the following categories:

**- The Best Women's Player**

- The Best Men's Player

- The Best Women's Goalkeeper

- The Best Men's Goalkeeper

- The Best Women's Coach

- The Best Men's Coach

- The Puskas Goal of the Year

- FIFA Fan Award

Beth Mead and Keira Walsh lead the nominations in the women's best player category on the back of their Euro 2022 win. These are the favourites, but many other talented players are on the list.

Barcelona's Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d'Or in 2022 but spent most of the year on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which shifts the focus back onto the England players, who won their nation's first major international football trophy since 1966.

In the men's best player category, the votes will be heavily influenced by last year's World Cup in Qatar. There are 14 names on the list, although many are struggling to see past one man as the winner.

"I think that not many people are looking beyond Lionel Messi because of the fact that he became Argentina's all-time top scorer in World Cup history in Qatar." revealed Mark Scott, commentator on the UEFA Champions League.

"He broke the FIFA World Cup appearance record, and of course, his side did the small achievement of winning