Palmer & Maresca shortlisted for The Best awards as FIFA announce nominees
In this story:
Cole Palmer and Enzo Maresca have both been nominated for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2025.
FIFA have announced the nominees for The Best awards, picked by a panel of experts, for six categories for both men's and women's football, alongside a fan award.
Palmer, who had a stellar campaign with 15 goals and 11 assists last season, has been included in the 11-player shortlist for The Best FIFA Men's Player award.
The attacking midfielder also played a pivotal role in Chelsea's Conference League and Club World Cup-winning campaigns, including scoring two goals against Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the latter.
The England international is one of the only two Premier League representatives on the list, alongside Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.
⭐ Your nominees for #TheBest FIFA Men's Player 2025.
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 6, 2025
🗳️ Cast your vote now!
The Best FIFA Men's Player nominees
- Ousmane Dembélé, France and Paris Saint-Germain
- Achraf Hakimi, Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain
- Harry Kane, England and FC Bayern München
- Kylian Mbappe, France and Real Madrid
- Nuno Mendes, Portugal and Paris Saint-Germain
- Cole Palmer, England and Chelsea
- Pedri, Spain and Barcelona
- Raphinha, Brazil and Barcelona
- Mohamed Salah, Egypt and Liverpool
- Vitinha, Portugal and Paris Saint-Germain
- Lamine Yamal, Spain and Barcelona
Maresca, on the other hand, has made the list of the seven-man shortlist for The Best FIFA Men's Coach award.
The Italian is to compete with PSG's Luis Enrique, Arsenal's Mikel Arteta, Liverpool's Arne Slot, and a few others.
Maresca led Chelsea to two aforementioned trophies in his first season in charge of the club and has since established himself as one of the top tacticians in world football.
Who deserves to be #TheBest FIFA Men's Coach 2025? 👔
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 6, 2025
The Best FIFA Men's Coach nominees
- Javier Aguirre, Mexico
- Mikel Arteta, Arsenal
- Luis Enrique, Paris Saint-Germain
- Hansi Flick, Barcelona
- Enzo Maresca, Chelsea
- Roberto Martinez, Portugal
- Arne Slot, Liverpool
Six Chelsea players nominated for world's best 11
In addition to these awards, FIFA will also name The Best FIFA Men's 11, and several Chelsea players have made the shortlist for their positions.
Robert Sanchez made the goalkeeper list, while Marc Cucurella is the sole Chelsea player in the defender category.
In midfield, Palmer is accompanied by Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
While among the attacker nominees, Joao Pedro is also the only sole Chelsea representative.
👕 Your nominees for #TheBest FIFA Men's 11.
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 6, 2025
Who's getting your vote?
Coaches and captains of all 211 FIFA member associations, as well as special journalists and fans, can vote for each of the awards on FIFA's official website.
Each of the voter groups have the same electoral weight, irrespective of the number of voters, and will each make up 25 percent of the poll.
The voting for the Best FIFA Football Awards 2025 started on November 6 and will conclude on November 28.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.