The Best FIFA Men's Player 2019: 3 deserving candidates who are missing from the 10-man shortlist

FIFA announced the 10-man shortlist for the Best FIFA Men's Player for 2019 on Wednesday, unleashing a star-studded lineup of contenders for the big prize. The declaration was made in FIFA's official website where fans can also register and vote for the top three players of their liking.

The shortlist included Lionel Messi, Virgil van Dijk, Cristiano Ronaldo, Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Kane, Eden Hazard, Sadio Mane, Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Salah. The winner will be announced on 23rd September, in the Best FIFA Football Award Show in Milan

The football world is already buzzing with discussions and anticipations of the eventual winner, however, it is also true that a few deserving candidates have been snubbed in the final 10. Today, we look at three footballers who deserve to be in the shortlist, but have unfortunately missed out this year.

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#3 Alisson Becker

Alison deserved to be in the final shortlist

When Liverpool lost the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League final to Real Madrid due to goalkeeping errors, Jurgen Klopp knew that he had to make one final change to his team to turn them into champions.

As such, the German heavily invested in a new goalkeeper, bringing in Alisson Becker from Roma to Anfield. Just a couple of days into the season, it was clear that Klopp had stuck gold.

The Brazilian is a typical modern day goalkeeper who likes the ball at his feet and is very comfortable building attacks from the back.

The fact that Alisson was brilliant as a sweeper keeper enabled Klopp to playing his ultra-attacking, heavy metal football that was so successful for him last season.

While Virgil van Dijk rightly took most of the plaudits for Liverpool's defensive performance, it would be unfair to ignore the Brazilian's contributions.

Alisson was a revelation between the sticks for Liverpool both in the league as well as the champions league. He was a part of the defense that let in just 22 goals in the Premier League!

The Brazilian won the Premier League Golden Glove by registering 21 clean sheets in his debut season. He was also instrumental as Liverpool successfully reached the UEFA Champions League final for the second year running and won the coveted trophy by defeating Tottenham.

This summer, he also won the Copa America with Brazil, where he was once again in his brilliant best.

Alisson became the first goalkeeper ever to win three golden gloves in a season, as he also won the UEFA Champions League Golden Glove as well as the Copa America Golden Glove.

As such, it is hard to imagine that one of the best goalkeepers in the world could not find a place in the final 10 shortlist of the FIFA's Best Men's Player for 2019.

#2 Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling was one of the most feared attackers in the league but failed to enter FIFA's final 10

The Englishman was one of the driving forces in the Manchester City team as Pep Guardiola's side made history by winning the domestic treble.

Raheem Sterling was instrumental as City saw off a fantastic title challenge from Liverpool, winning the title on the final day of the season.

On the field, Sterling's versatility was used amicably by his manager, as the Englishman seamlessly slotted into varied attacking positions.

Sterling was menacing through left, right and center and his trickery gave the opposition nightmares on the field. He was also a constant goal threat last season, managing 25 goals and 12 assists from 48 games in all competitions.

The Englishman was the deserved winner of the Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the year as well as the Football Writers' Association Player of the year.

He was also one of the players of the season in the league, however, it seems that was not enough for him to break into the final 10 shortlist for the FIFA's Best Men's Player for 2019.

#1 Bernardo Silva

Bernardo Silva was brilliant for club and country last season

The Portuguese star was on fire last season and was seen as a genuine contender for the FIFA's Best Player of the Year for 2019 at the start of the summer.

However, Bernardo Silva has been strangely overlooked in the final 10 shortlist for the award and it is extremely difficult to understand why. The Portuguese was one of the players of the season in the league and his impact with both club and country was outstanding to say the least.

Bernardo Silva ended the season with the domestic treble to his name and then carried that form into the UEFA Nations League for Portugal.

He was instrumental in his country's triumph at the tournament and the Portuguese was deservedly named the Player of the Tournament, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Silva had an equally telling impact with his club, helping City recover from the pangs of losing the talismanic Kevin de Bruyne at the start of the season and then becoming the heartbeat of Pep Guardiola's team.

The Portuguese is extremely versatile and mixes silky touch with steely resolve on the field. Bernardo Silva should be disappointed on missing out from FIFA's 10 man shortlist, but in the eyes of football fans, he already is a champion.