The three finalists at FIFA The Best 2020 Award They have not left anyone indifferent, especially in a year in which the Ballon d'Or will not be awarded. Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi will be the three players competing for the award. The two stars of PSG have been left out mainly: Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
Shortly after the names of the players who will fight for the award on December 17 were made public, Brazilian Neymar posted two very enigmatic tweets ironing out his absence. “Since tennis didn't work out, I switched to basketball.” Then add: “I already quit basketball, now I am a Gamer”. These messages are in addition to those exchanged by Ney and his compatriot Thiago Silva when the eleventh of the year of the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History and Statistics) was announced. Both players were not included and joked about the matter. The defense wrote: “Neymar was in the NBA bubble. Him, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and company. “ To which the attacker replied, laughing: “They recruited me”. Then Neymar also complained about the absence of Thiago Silva. “At least you played the Roland Garros final …”The PSG attack was ironic.
Ja que no ???? não deu certo, partiu ????
– Neymar Jr (@neymarjr) December 11, 2020
The merits of Neymar and Mbappé
It has been very surprising that the finalist team in the Champions League does not have any representative among the 9 possible options. Not among the three best footballers of the year, not among the three best goalkeepers and not among the three best coaches. On the other hand, their rival in the Lisbon final, Bayern Munich, did put Lewandowski, Neuer and Hansi Flick in the final shortlist.
An absence of PSG representatives that is nothing new since never, since The Best Award was implemented in 2016, has a member of the Paris entity been able to compete for the final award. The premature outcome of Ligue 1 has been able to affect the final decision, however, the good work of PSG in the biggest competition that was played during this 2020 as the Champions League could presage another result.
Neymar, who was third in the 2017 edition when he was a Barcelona footballer, finished the 2019-2020 season with 19 goals in 27 games with the PSG jersey. In the Champions League, despite missing the start of the competition due to suspension, he shone three goals and distributing four assists. At this start of the season It's like a shot 9 goals in 11 games, six of those in the Champions League.
Nor is it among the finalists, Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman was the top scorer in the French league, alongside Ben Yedder with 18 goals. In this 2020-21 campaign, he is already the top scorer in the competition with 10 goals. Against Bayern Munich he played his first Champions League final and throughout the tournament he scored 5 goals and gave 6 assists.
Oblivion of Keylor Navas and Tuchel
FIFA also did not include Keylor Navas among the three finalist goalkeepers (Oblak, Neuer and Alisson). Curious about the Costa Rican, who despite winning the 2017 and 2018 Champions League with Real Madrid was only 3rd in the 2017 edition, when goalkeepers were awarded for the first time in their own section. It must be remembered that Thomas Tuchel was already another of the notable absences of the nominations, since he was not even among the options available in the section for the best coach of 2020.