All players on the list will compete for the prize and a spot in the Team of the Year. Argentine forward Nicolás González made a strong social media post following the absence of his compatriot Julián Álvarez among the nominees for 'The Best' award for best forward of 2025. In an Instagram story, the product of Argentinos Juniors' youth academy, and now a teammate of the former Manchester City and River player at Atlético de Madrid, shared an image with 'The Spider' (Álvarez's nickname), accompanied by the phrase 'clearly they don't understand anything' and an insect emoji in honor of his nickname. The prestigious list also includes Argentines Lautaro Martínez and Mateo Retegue, with superstar Lionel Messi as the main highlight. The other 19 nominees for the award are: Al Dawsari, Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé, Doué, Guirassy, Viktor Gyokeres, Erling Haaland, Henrique, Alexander Isak, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappé, Pedro, Raphinha, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah, Vinícius Jr., and Lamine Yamal. Watch this story by Nico Gonzalez on Instagram before it disappears. On the other hand, the Argentine national team's goalkeeper, Emiliano Martínez, was recognized by the International Federation of Football Association for his performance with Aston Villa.
