Liverpool trio tops short list for FIFA award

Liverpool’s Champions League-winning trio of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane joined regulars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the short list for the Best FIFA Men’s Player award, world soccer’s governing body announced Wednesday.

Salah and Mane shared the Premier League Golden Boot with Arsenal’s Pierre-emerick Aubameyang as the league’s top scorers with 22 goals each, while Messi was the leading scorer in La Liga (36 goals) and the Champions League (12 goals) last season.

Centre-back Van Dijk was voted the Premier League Player of the Season and the Players’ Player of the Year and was instrumental in the Merseyside club’s sixth European Cup triumph.

Ronaldo won Italy’s Serie A title in his debut with Juventus and was also voted the league’s MVP. He also led Portugal to the inaugural UEFA Nations League title in June.

U.S. World Cup winners Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz were nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s Player award along with last year’s Ballon d’or winner, Ada Hegerberg.

Hegerberg’s Olympique Lyonnais teammates Lucy Bronze, Amandine Henry and Wendie Renard also made the cut.

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola of Manchester City head the nominees for the men’s coach of the year award. Other nominees include Portugal coach Fernando Santos, Brazil coach Tite and Djamel Belmadi of Algeria.

U.S. women’s team coach Jill Ellis, who led her side to its fourth World Cup last month, heads the list of nominees for the best women’s team coach. She is joined by Lyon’s Reynald Pedros, Sarina Wiegman, who led the Netherlands to its first World Cup final, and Joe Montemurro, who led Arsenal to the FA Women’s Super League title.

The winners will be announced in Milan Sept. 23.