FIFA has announced the candidates for the 2022 World Cup. Among them are also familiar faces from the Bundesliga.

On Thursday, FIFA announced its candidates for the election of the World Footballer 2022. The search is on for the successor to former Bayern star Robert Lewandowski. Among them are both current and former stars from the Bundesliga.

At 19, Jude Bellingham is already the emotional and combative leader at Borussia Dortmund. His strong performances at the World Cup in Qatar convinced even the last top European club to put the Englishman at the top of their wish list. The reward: the first nomination for the World Footballer’s Cup.

Sadio Mané is not a first-time nominee. The 30-year-old striker moved to FC Bayern before the season, scored six goals in 14 games and set up another three. His nomination, however, relates more to his performances at former club FC Liverpool and, above all, the African Cup win in January 2022, when the Senegalese led his home country to the title.

Former BVB stars strongly represented

The 14-player shortlist also includes four other players who have left their mark on German professional football. In addition to the reigning world footballer Lewandowski, his former adversary from the Bundesliga days, Erling Haaland, is included for the first time.

The former BVB star has been scoring at will for Manchester City since the summer. His team-mate Kevin De Bruyne, who once played for Werder Bremen and VfL Wolfsburg, is also among the candidates. With Achraf Hakimi (Paris St. Germain), there are a total of four names on the shortlist who play or have played for Borussia Dortmund. The award will take place in February.