Van Dijk, Ronaldo, Messi finalists for FIFA player award

By: Daniella Matar, The Associated Press Posted: 6:06 AM CDT Monday, Sep. 2, 2019 Last Modified: 6:32 AM CDT Monday, Sep. 2, 2019

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MILAN - Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk has joined five-time winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the three finalists for the FIFA best player award. United States forward Megan Rapinoe is the favourite for the women's award.

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This article was published 02/09/2019 (2543 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MILAN – Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk has joined five-time winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the three finalists for the FIFA best player award. United States forward Megan Rapinoe is the favourite for the women’s award.

The announcement of the final three in each category — including best coach and best goalkeeper — was made Monday at San Siro. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at Milan’s iconic Scala theatre on Sept. 23.

Luka Modric, who won the award last year after leading Croatia to the World Cup final, did not make the 10-man shortlist.

Dutch soccer player Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool holds the award of men's player of the year 2018/19 during the group stage draw at the Grimaldi Forum, in Monaco, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Van Dijk joined Ronaldo and Messi after helping Liverpool win the Champions League title in June.

Rapinoe is competing against World Cup-winning teammate Alex Morgan and England forward Lucy Bronze.

All three of the finalists for the men’s coach award work in the Premier League: Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino.

While Klopp won the Champions League with Liverpool and Guardiola steered City to a second straight Premier League title, Pochettino has never won a trophy in his managerial career — although he did lead Tottenham to the Champions League final.

United States coach Jill Ellis, who won back-to-back World Cup titles before stepping down after more than five years in charge, was nominated for the award for the best coach in women’s soccer. She is joined by England’s Phil Neville and the Netherlands’ Sarina Wiegman. The Netherlands lost to the United States in the World Cup final.