Liverpool trio head FIFA award shortlist

Liverpool’s Champions League winning trio of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane joined regulars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the shortlist for The Best FIFA Men’s player award, world soccer’s governing body announced on Wednesday.

Salah and Mane shared the Premier League Golden Boot for the league’s top scorer with 22 goals each while Messi was the leading scorer in both La Liga (36 goals) and the Champions League (12 goals) last season.

Centre back Van Dijk was voted both the Premier League Player of the Season and the Players’ Player of the Year. The three finalists for each award will be revealed at a later date, with the winners to be announced in a ceremony in Milan on September 23.