The Best FIFA Awards 2019: Who will be crowned the world's best?

THE BEST FIFA WOMEN'S PLAYER: MEGAN RAPINOE

It had to be Rapinoe, didn't it? After a brilliant World Cup campaign with the United States that saw her finish as the top goalscorer, she was named as the winner ahead of fellow USWNT colleague Alex Morgan and England star Lucy Bronze.

And Rapinoe took the opportunity to call on her fellow football stars to help use their stardom to improve the world for the better. She denounced the racism and homophobia in the game, and said that what would truly inspire her – and others – would be if people other than the victims of the sport's social injustices were outraged at the situation.

She was roundly applauded at the end of her speech as she capped off a memorable year.

THE BEST FIFA WOMEN'S PLAYER

Who is the best women's footballer on the planet? The short list has two members of the United States' World Cup-winning team, plus England's standout player.

• Lucy Bronze (Lyon and England)
• Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride and USA)
• Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign and USA)

THE BEST FIFA MEN'S PLAYER: LIONEL MESSI

Messi takes the award for the best men's player in the world, and the honor of being the best player on the planet today.

The little Argentinian wizard led Barcelona to a dominant La Liga season, as Barca finished 11 points clear of Atletico Madrid at the top of the table.

And while Barca didn't make it all the way in the UEFA Champions League, Messi nonetheless stood out as one of the top performers in Europe's premier club competition, as he finished as the competition's top scorer with 12 goals last season.

Ronaldo had a stellar season, and Van Dijk's accomplishments as a defender aren't as easily quantified by statistics, but all three players had huge seasons for their respective clubs.

But, when asked who was the best player in the world last year, most of the panelists said Messi. And that's a pretty hard opinion to argue with.

"WE HAVE TO SAY NO TO RACISM"

FIFA president Gianni Infantino interrupts his award announcement by stating that the time has come for football to kick racism out of football. 

He cited another example of racism in football from a recent Italian league match, and said it was time the sport stopped saying things and started to take firm action.

I guess all we can do now is see just what FIFA actually does. Racism has sadly remained a part of the game for years, and paltry fines have done little to stop it.

Will FIFA finally act with strong punishments and back up Infantino's words? Watch this space...

THE BEST FIFA MEN'S PLAYER

No surprises with the nominations here Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi get nominated so often they probably have their own parking space at this point. Joining them is the defensive colossus from Liverpool, Virgil Van Dijk.

Will the goalscoring superstars shine through again, or will a defender get the accolade of the world's best player in 2019?

• Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus and Portugal)
• Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina)
• Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool and Netherlands)

THE FIFA FIFPRO MEN'S WORLD11

GOALKEEPER

Alisson Becker (Brazil, Liverpool)

DEFENDERS

Virgil van Dijk (The Netherlands, Liverpool)
Matthijs de Ligt (The Netherlands, Ajax/currently Juventus)
Marcelo (Brazil, Real Madrid)
Sergio Ramos (Spain, Real Madrid)

MIDFIELDERS

Eden Hazard (Belgium, Chelsea/currently Real Madrid)
Frenkie de Jong (The Netherlands, Ajax/currently Barcelona)
Luka Modric (Croatia, Real Madrid)

FORWARDS

Kylian Mbappe (France, Paris Saint-Germain)
Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Juventus)

THE BEST FIFA WOMEN'S COACH: JILL ELLIS

England's Phil Neville and Holland's Sarina Wiegman were both nominated for the award, but there could really be only one winner.

Jill Ellis has achieved wonderful things with the United States Women's National Team. The English coach moved Stateside to pursue her dream of a career in The Beautiful Game, and eventually worked her way up to become the head coach of the United States team.

And with a healthy mix of established stars and vibrant young players, the team went on to produce a thrilling tournament as they won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup earlier this summer.

A deserved winner after an incredible year.

THE BEST FIFA MEN'S GOALKEEPER: ALISSON BECKER

Liverpool's Brazilian custodian had a phenomenal year last year as his calm presence behind the back four helped give the Red the stability in defense that led to one of their most successful seasons in years.

With Alisson between the sticks, Liverpool battled neck and neck with Manchester City all the way to the final weekend of the Premier League season. And while his team fell agonizingly short on the final day, they picked themselves up and captured the UEFA Champions League.

Now the big Brazilian has been honored with an individual award as he is officially recognized as the world's best goalkeeper over the last year.

THE BEST FIFA MEN'S GOALKEEPER

The honor of being the top stopper in men's football is a keenly-contested category in 2019, with a pair of Brazilian Premier League aces, plus a Catalunya-based German. But who will catch this award?

• Alisson Becker (Liverpool and Brazil)
• Ederson (Manchester City and Brazil)
• Marc Andre Ter Stegen (Barcelona and Germany)

FIFA FIFPRO WOMEN'S WORLD11

GOALKEEPER

Sari van Veendaal (The Netherlands, Arsenal/currently Atletico)

DEFENDERS

Lucy Bronze (England, Olympique Lyonnais)
Nilla Fischer (Sweden, VfL Wolfsburg/currently Linkopings)
Kelly O’Hara (USA, Utah Royals)
Wendie Renard (France, Olympique Lyonnais)

MIDFIELDERS

Julie Ertz (USA, Chicago Red Stars)
Amandine Henry (France, Olympique Lyonnais)
Rose Lavelle (USA, Washington Spirit)

FORWARDS

Alex Morgan (USA, Orlando Pride)
Megan Rapinoe (USA, Reign FC)
Marta Vieria (Brazil, Orlando Pride)