On Friday afternoon, Hope Powell, Christie Pearce Rampone, Gilberto Silva and Pablo Aimar announced on behalf of FIFA the three finalists in each category of The Best FIFA Football Awards™ 2020, which will be held on 17 December at FIFA headquarters in Zurich.

There then followed a discussion about this year’s nominees.

"I am loving that there is some defensive love in this top three. It's great to see that they are recognising the foundation of a true defender," said former USA defender and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup™ winner Pearce Rampone. "All three of these players are brilliant, they are very impactful. They are game-changers, top of their game right now, so this is going to be a tough one."

"Two of them are currently playing in England. That's a really high calibre of player there. It's a very close call and shows the talent that is coming through in the women's game", added Hope Powell, former England international and coach who is currently in charge of Brighton & Hove Albion.

Pearce Rampone had a favourite for the award, however, in the form of Wendie Renard, saying: "She is a world-class player. Not only is she consistent, she is composed and her aerial presence is one of her strengths. She is really hard to battle against. She plays both sides of the ball and has a good shot at winning this."

In addition to the traditional Messi/Ronaldo duo, there is a new face in the final three, namely Robert Lewandowski. "Messi and Ronaldo have been competing for this award during the last years. Lewandowski is doing a great job at Bayern, we know how great he has done in the past years. I don't have any favourite this year," said Gilberto Silva, FIFA World Cup™ winner in 2002 with Brazil and a member of Arsenal’s "Invincibles".

Aimar certainly had a favourite, however. "Lewandowski has a great chance this time around, as he won everything with his team. Ronaldo and Messi have dominated The Best in the past. But for me, the best is always Messi. He is my all-time favourite," said the former Argentinian international and current assistant coach of the national team.

"As a Brazilian I would love to see Neymar be there at one point - he is going in the right direction. Mbappe is another young player who has the conditions to be there,” added Gilberto Silva, looking to the future.

Gilberto Silva was full of praise for the two German coaches, at the helm of Liverpool and Bayern respectively, saying that "both of them landed historic achievements with their teams". Aimar, meanwhile, had this to say of his fellow Argentinian: "I have special admiration for Marcelo Bielsa, so he'd be my choice. He had a great impact on all players he has led and had a great influence in all countries where he has coached. He is leaving his footprint on English football as well – he impacts everyone that surrounds him."

Both Powell and Pearce Rampone found it tough to choose their favourite for the female coaches. "They have all done a phenomenal job; they've been doing a good job continuing to raise the women's game," explained Pearce Rampone.

"They have all done well on the world stage and kept their teams in games," said Pearce Rampone, with Powell anticipating a photo finish in this category, saying: "This is going to be very close. I wouldn't like to call it."

"All three are fantastic goalkeepers. Whoever wins it has a lot to celebrate, as the competition is on such a high level," said Gilberto Silva of the three nominees.

Puskás Award goals are always spectacular, and this is also the case of the three that have been pre–selected this year. "These are three amazing goals,” said Aimar, before adding: “I would go for De Arrascaeta's with the scissor kick."

All winners, including those of the FIFA Fan Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award, will be crowned on 17 December 2020 in a TV show broadcast live, starting at 19:00 CET.

To keep up with the latest news about The Best FIFA Football Awards™, visit FIFA.com, The Best FIFA Football Awards™ official Facebook page, FIFA on Twitter and FIFA on YouTube.

Join the discussion about who should win this year’s awards by using the hashtag #TheBest.