ZIDANE, ALLEGRI MAKE SHORTLIST FOR FIFA BEST COACH AWARD

ZIDANE, ALLEGRI MAKE SHORTLIST FOR FIFA BEST COACH AWARD

Real Madrid Boss, Zinedine Zidane, and his Juventus counterpart, Massimiliano Allegri, are part of the 12-man nominees for The Best FIFA Men’s Coach 2017 award.

Both managers played against each other at the final of last season’s Uefa Champions League, where the Madrid boss lifted the trophy after his side put up a classy display to down the Italians.

They are joined by Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, former Barcelona manager, Luis Enrique and Chelsea’s Antonio Conte, among others.

According to Fifa, the shortlist which was announced on its website on Thursday, was compiled by a panel of football legends among whom are Nigeria’s Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha and Argentina’s Diego Maradona.

The nominees for the award, in alphabetical order, are:

* Massimiliano Allegri (ITA – Juventus)

* Carlo Ancelotti (ITA – FC Bayern Munich)

* Antonio Conte (ITA – Chelsea)

* Luis Enrique (ESP – FC Barcelona)

* Pep Guardiola (ESP – Manchester City)

* Leonardo Jardim (POR – AS Monaco)

* Joachim Low (GER – German national team)

* Jose Mourinho (POR – Manchester United)

* Mauricio Pochettino (ARG – Tottenham Hotspur)

* Diego Simeone (ARG – Atlético Madrid)

* Tite (BRA – Brazilian national team)

* Zinedine Zidane (FRA – Real Madrid).

The winner of the award will be chosen by a process involving the four main stakeholders involved in football: national team coaches, captains, selected media and the fans.

Former Leicester City manager, Claudio Ranieri, was named the Best Men’s Coach in the maiden edition of the awards in 2016, after he guided the Premier League club to the most unlikely of title wins, in one of the greatest football fairy tales of all time.

The second edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards™ – the ceremony where winners of the awards including other categories – will take place in London on Monday, October 23, 2017.