HOLLAND – Four Dutch football internationals and two coaches are included on this year’s Fifa nomination list for player and coach of the year. No fewer than three of the 10 men on the short list – Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax, now Juventus), Frenkie de Jong (Ajax, now Barcelona) and Oranje captain Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – are Dutch players, alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo.
Ajax coach Erik ten Hag, who took his squad to their best season in years with the Dutch triple and a Champions League semi-final place, is on the short list for men’s coach of the year. In the women’s coach competition, Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman is on the shortlist, which is made up of six men and four women.
The Dutch women’s team lost the final of this year’s World Cup to the US on their first qualification for the event. Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema is the Dutch representative on the women’s list for player of the year. She was also voted player of the year in the English Premier league, helping Arsenal to the league title with 22 goals.
The short lists are drawn up by a panel of experts but voting is open to the general public, if they sign up via the Fifa website. The prizes will be announced at a gala event in Milan on September 23.
