The winners of the 2022 IFFHS prizes will be announced in early January, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Robert Lewandowski
Poland captain Lewandowski is among 20 nominees in the Men’s World Best Player category.
The Barcelona forward won this accolade in 2020 and 2021, the IFFHS noted.
This year, Lewandowski faces competition from the likes of World Cup winner Lionel Messi of Argentina, France’s Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior of Brazil.
Wojciech Szczęsny
Meanwhile, Poland's Wojciech Szczęsny, who plays for Italian giants Juventus, is one of 25 shot-stoppers shortlisted in the Men’s World Best Goalkeeper category.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Szczęsny saved two penalties, including one from Messi.
Favourites for the prize include World Cup heroes Dominik Livaković of Croatia and Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez, as well as Champions League winner Thibault Courtois of Belgium, the PAP news agency reported.
Czesław Michniewicz
The outgoing Poland coach Czesław Michniewicz is among the 20 nominees in the Men’s World Best National Coach category.
This year, Michniewicz kept Poland in Nations League A and led the team to the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time since 1986, PAP noted.
The award is likely to go to one of coaches whose sides won medals in Qatar, Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni, France’s Didier Deschamps or Zlatko Dalić of Croatia, according to the PAP news agency.
Szymon Marciniak
Meanwhile, Poland’s Szymon Marciniak, who officiated the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France, is one of the main contenders for the Men’s World Best Referee award.
The other 24 nominees include France’s Clément Turpin, Colombia’s Wilmar Roldán and England’s Anthony Taylor, the IFFHS said.
Nicola Zalewski, Jakub Kamiński
Finally, two of Poland’s up-and-coming players, full-back Nicola Zalewski of Italy’s AS Roma and winger Jakub Kamiński from Germany’s VfL Wolfsburg, have been shortlisted for the IFFHS award in the Men’s World Best Youth (U20) Player category.
The other 23 nominees include such emerging stars as Germany’s Jamal Musiala, France’s Eduardo Camavinga and England’s Jude Bellingham.
Established in 1984, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics describes its mission as “the chronological documentation of world football results, data and football related information on FIFA and confederation tournaments, international and national games, teams, leagues, federations, players and referees."
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, TVP Sport, iffhs.com