Fifa Football Awards 2020 - who's the best?

Fifa-

Thursday is when the Fifa awards are announced. Who will be the top players in world football?

Last year, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi took the men’s award while USA international Megan Rapinoe claimed the women’s.

There are seven categories for 2020, with winners decided by nominations from the captains and head coaches of all national teams, an online ballot of fans, and submissions from 200 media representatives.

The virtual ceremony starts at 18:00 GMT in Zurich, Switzerland and you can follow updates as the winners are announced on the BBC Sport website.

Here are all the contenders on the list and why they have made the cut:

Best Fifa men’s player

Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus & Portugal)

At 35, Ronaldo is showing no signs of slowing down and scored 31 goals to lead Juventus to a ninth straight Serie A title. He also took his goal tally for Portugal past the 100 mark.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina)

Six-time winner of the award Messi finished as La Liga’s top scorer with 25 goals and top assist provider with 21 as Barcelona were runners-up to rivals Real Madrid last season.

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich & Poland)

Lewandowski scored 55 goals in just 47 games as he helped Bayern Munich to a treble. The Poland international finished as the top scorer in the league, cup and Champions League.

Best Fifa women’s player

Lucy Bronze (Manchester City & England)

England international full-back Bronze, who was also nominated last year, won league, cup and Champions League with Lyon, before returning to Manchester City at the start of this season.

Pernille Harder (Chelsea & Denmark)

Denmark international striker Harder scored 38 goals in all competitions as she won the league and cup double with Wolfsburg last season, before signing for Chelsea for a world record £250,000 fee at the start of this season. Read more from BBC.

Follow News Without Politics for more interesting and relevant, important U.S. and world news stories plus health, entertainment, sports, weather, food and more without media bias.