 "Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola nominated for FIFA Men's Coach of the Year award")
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp and three players –Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk –headed nominations released on Wednesday for the FIFA Best awards that will be presented in Milan on September 23. Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi also make the shortlist for the men’s award along with PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, Tottenham’s Harry Kane, Belgian Eden Hazard and Dutch duo Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt. American Alex Morgan and coach Jill Ellis will be favourites for the female player and women’s coach awards after spearheading the USA to the the women’s World Cup title in France last month. Brazil coach Tite, who led his country to Copa America triumph earlier in July, is also a notable nominee, whereas France’s World Cup-winning coach Didier Deschamps also make the cut. Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola have also made the list while both former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri and current manager Maurizio Sarri were overlooked.
Klopp’s Liverpool clinched the UEFA Champions League trophy for the sixth time by beating Tottenham Hotspur in the final in June, whereas the Reds put up a brilliant fight in the Premier League title race but fell short of eventual champions Manchester City by just one point. Pochettino’s Spurs, on the other hand, finished runners-up in the Champions League following a 0-2 loss to Liverpool. With inputs from AFP