Bielsa in, no Haaland - Some questionable nominations for The Best Awards

The nominees for the 2020 edition of The Best Awards were revealed by FIFA on Wednesday and, as is always the case with nominations, there was some controversy.

In particular, there are three main areas that have generated a lot of debate.

1. The choice of Marcelo Bielsa

There is no doubt that what Bielsa has achieved with Leeds United is remarkable, but to be considered among the best five coaches in the world for the 2019/20 season raises suspicions.

It is one which will leave the fans of Cadiz, Huesca or Elche, all of which were promoted to LaLiga Santander this season, feeling frustrated with this nomination, like many others from the major European leagues.

Thomas Tuchel, who guided Paris Saint-Germain to another Ligue 1 title, as well as the Champions League final, could easily have taken his place.

Gian Piero Gasperini, who took Atalanta to the quarter-finals of Europe's premier club competition and third in Serie A, could also have been there.

Not to mention Julian Nagelsmann's success with RB Leipzig, having guided them to the semi-finals of the Champions League and third place in the Bundesliga.

2. The absences of Ciro Immobile and Erling Haaland

The absence of the player who broke the Messi-Ronaldo hegemony for the Golden Shoe award, albeit except for Luis Suarez in 2015/16, is also striking.

Ciro Immobile scored 36 goals last season, which was more than the favourite for the award, Robert Lewandowski (34), and Cristiano Ronaldo (31).

Premier League winner Mohamed Salah made the list, despite scoring half the number of goals as the Italian while playing for a team as strong as Liverpool.

The case of Erling Haaland is also surprising, given he held the record for the highest average goals-per-game rate in 2020.

The Norwegian has been in scintillating form since his move to Borussia Dortmund from RB Salzburg at the beginning of the year, too.

3. And Kimmich?

There is no doubt Bayern Munich dominated European football last season, and many of their players stood out above the rest.

As a result, Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer were quite rightly nominated for their performances alongside Thiago Alcantara, who is now at Liverpool.

Yet, the absence of Joshua Kimmich, who is at the centre of Hansi Flick's style of play at Bayern, is startling.

Alphonso Davies and Thomas Muller could both easily have made the list too, although their absence has not generated as much unanimity as that of Kimmich.