Modric and Mbappé lead the list of players of the year

Kylian Mbappé and Luka Modric the most outstanding figures of the last World Cup, will challenge the duopoly that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo exercised during the last decade with the award of the best player of FIFA.

Mbappé the juvenile sensation of the France team that was champion in Russia, and Modric the Croatian captain who was proclaimed the tournament's best player, were included in the list of 10 candidates for the prize that FIFA announced on Tuesday. Messi and Cristiano, prize winners five times each, also stand out in the list.

For the first time, FIFA opened the poll a few days after the end of the World Cup, during which Messi and Cristiano said goodbye after the knockout stages.

France also Antoine Griezmann and Raphael Varane who won a third league title alongside Modric and Cristiano at Real Madrid, on the list.

Varane is the only defender who has been selected by a panel of FIFA experts, who has left the Brazilian star Neymar out of the group. The 13 experts include three Brazilians: Ronaldo, Kaká and Carlos Alberto Parreira. Ronaldo and Kaka were the winners of the award, while Parreira led the national team that won the 1994 World Cup.

Belgium, who lost to France in the semifinals, has two representatives in the group of candidates: Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard.

The list is completed by Englishman Harry Kane, the top scorer in the World Cup, and Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah, key to Liverpool's run to the Champions League final.

The winners will be announced in London on September 24th following a vote of coaches and captains of national teams, as well as journalists from the 211 FIFA member countries and one vote online fans. Three finalists will be announced before the ceremony.

France could monopolize the prizes with Didier Deschamps and Zinedine Zidane distinguishing himself among the 11 candidates for the best coaching prize.

Deschamps took France to the World Cup title and Zidane, his teammate who won the 1998 World Cup, won the Champions League with Madrid for the third consecutive year. Zidane, who left his post, was the winner of the FIFA award last year.

Five technicians who led the World Cup are among the candidates, including all the semi-finalists: Deschamps Zlatko Dalic of Croatia, Spanish Roberto Martínez of Belgium and Gareth Southgate from England, in addition to the Russian Stanislav Cherchesov.

Pep Guardiola also appears in the list after the unequal dedication of Manchester City in the Premier League. Guardiola won the award in 2011 with Barcelona.

The other nominees are: Massimiliano Allegri (Juventus), Juergen Klopp (Liverpool), Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid) and Ernesto Valverde (Barcelona).

In the prize of the best footballer, the champion of France and Europe of Lyon contributes six of the 10 candidates. The group includes French captain Wendie Renard, as well as Dzsenifer Marozsan and Saki Kumagai, captains from Germany and Japan.

Three candidates are active in the clubs of the American League: the Brazilian Marta (five-time winner of the prize), the American midfielder Megan Rapinoe and the attacker Australian Sam Kerr.

The FIFA panel omitted the last two winners of the award: American Carli Lloyd and Dutchman Lieke Martens.

Four women and six men face each other for the prize of the best women's football coach.

Sarina Wiegman, the 2017 winner who leads the Netherlands, and Asako Takakura, who led Japan to the Asian Cup title, are among the finalists.

Brazilian Vadao was nominated after leading his team to the women's title of Copa America.

At the ceremony, FIFA will also award prizes to the best goalkeeper, the best goal and the best fans.