Gianluigi Donnarumma collects awards in 2021. Winner of the Euro with Italy, the trophy for best player in the competition, the Yachine prize (equivalent to the goalkeepers’ Golden Ball), the Italian is on his way to the prize The Best of Fifa in the doorman category. The international body unveiled the three finalists on Wednesday: he was appointed alongside the German Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) and the Senegalese Édouard Mendy (Chelsea). Winner of the Champions League with the Blues, the latter had finished behind Donnarumma at the Yachine Prize, awarded by France Football at the same time as the Golden Ball.
Currently affected by the Covid-19, the former goalkeeper of AC Milan leaves favorite for this trophy, awarded by Fifa since 2017. The Italian, Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), the Belgian Thibault Courtois (Real Madrid), the Brazilian Alisson (Liverpool) and German Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) won the first four editions. The 2021 trophy will be presented on January 17 during the annual FIFA gala. The three finalists for the best player award will be announced this Friday, January 7. Parisians Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Neymar are among the 10 players still in the running.
The finalists among the best goalkeepers were also unveiled on Tuesday: we find the Chilean Christiane Endler, champion of France with PSG and today at Olympique Lyonnais. She will compete with the Canadian Stéphanie Labbé, her successor in Paris, Olympic champion with Canada and the German Ann-Katrin Berger, finalist in the Champions League with Chelsea.