Superstars Ronaldo, Messi To Go Head To Head In Dubai

That age-old footballing conundrum of who is better, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, is set to spark debate again as the pair battle it out to be named the Best Men’s Player at the Global Soccer Awards in Dubai.

However, they face tough competition, with Liverpool quartet Alisson Becker, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Virgil Van Dijk, and Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva making up a stellar list for the title.

While on the women’s side, for the first time ever, US World Cup winners Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe have been shortlisted alongside English football star Lucy Bronze, who led French club Olympique Lyonnais to victory in the Women’s Champions League; Ada Hegerberg, Amadine Henry, Marta Vieira Da Silva and Sari van Veenendaal, will vie for the title of Best Women’s Player of the Year.

The new category has been launched alongside two others, Best Club of the Year and Best Referee of the Year for the event, which will be held at Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah on Sunday, December 29.

“The sport is going from strength to strength and with the popularity of FIFA Women's World Cup this year, watched by over 1.5 billion people across the globe and an impressive fan base, we wanted to recognise the immense talent that is evident across the board,” said Tommaso Bendoni, CEO of Globe Soccer.

“We’ll be welcoming the biggest names in the sport to Dubai for another all-star event including international players, coaches and the people who work behind the scenes to make competitions possible.”

Other categories include: Best Goalkeeper, Best Coach, Best Revelation Player, Best Agent, and Best Sporting Director; as well as two Player Career awards, one Coach Career award, Sport Business Award, Koora – Best Arab Coach Award, and Koora – Best Arab Player Award.

Winners will be chosen by the Globe Soccer Jury, a panel of leading industry experts including Fabio Capello, Antonio Conte and Eric Abidal.

On Saturday December 28, Dubai Sports Council’s 14th edition of the Dubai International Sports Conference will host a wide range of speakers, from club owners to coaches, players and sponsors who will be discussing the future development of football.