Guardiola, Ancelotti, Sarina Wiegman make final shortlists for FIFA Best Coach Award

Manchester City manager and England European Championship-winning coach Pep Guardiola and Sarina Wiegman have both made the final shortlists for the FIFA Best Award.

Guardiola, who guided City to their fourth Premier League title in the last five years in the 2021/22 campaign, was nominated in the men’s coach category alongside Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti and Argentina national team head coach Lionel Scaloni.

Ancelotti led Real Madrid to a La Liga title triumph last season and the UEFA Champions League to complete a double, while Scaloni guided Argentina to their first World Cup title in 36 years at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Wiegman, who led the Three Lionesses of England to their first-ever major title when they won the 2022 Women’s European Championship on home soil, was shortlisted in the final list alongside Sonia Bompastor and Pia Sundhage in the women’s category.

The Dutch manager had clinched the prestigious honour twice – in 2017 after winning the championship as the head coach of the Netherlands women’s national team and in 2020.

The two other managers on the list, Sonia Bompastor, guided Lyon to the French league and the UEFA Women’s Champions League triumph last season, while Pia Sundhage led Brazil to the Copa America Femenina.

Finalists in the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper Award category are Argentina World Cup hero Emiliano Martinez, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Morocco’s historic-making goalie Yassine Bounou, who kept the most clean sheet at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

In the Women’s category, the three finalists are Germany and Chelsea goalie Ann-Katrin Berger, a European championship silver medalist and Women’s Super League winner, Chilean goalkeeper Christiane Endler – she won the UEFA Champions League and French league with Lyon last season.

Also on the list is Manchester United’s Mary Earps, who won the European Championship with England last year and this year, she made history by becoming the first goalkeeper to record 50 clean sheets in the FA Women’s Super League.

The winner of each category, including the Best Player in the men’s and women’s divisions, will be announced on February 27 during an event which will take place in Paris, France.