Neymar Jr. has been nominated for the “Balón Educativo” award by the NGO Scholas Occurrentes

Founded by Pope Francis, the NGO Scholas Occurrentes has released its list of nominees for the Balón Educativo Award, which will be presented to the athlete who best exemplified these values during the World Cup. Neymar Jr. is one of the star players in the running for the award.

The list includes 22 athletes whose values are one of the defining characteristics of their soccer. The NGO evaluates respect, a spirit of solidarity, effort, resilience, honesty, and teamwork.

The Brazilian national team has the most nominees for the award. In addition to the No. 10, three other teammates are among the nominees: Thiago Silva, Willian, and Philippe Coutinho. The four players put on a spectacular display of skill in this World Cup, advancing all the way to the quarterfinals.

The “Balón Educativo,” conceived by the organization founded in 2001 in Buenos Aires, is a soccer ball made by children in Mozambique. The winner will be chosen by the public on the NGO’s social media platforms, and two Argentina jerseys, autographed by Leo Messi, will be raffled off among voters.

Check out the 22 nominees:

Neymar Jr. (Brazil);

Denis Cheryshev (Russia);

Edinson Cavani (Uruguay);

Fernando Muslera (Uruguay);

Luka Modrić (Croatia);

Philippe Coutinho (Brazil);

Romelu Lukaku (Belgium);

Luis Suárez (Uruguay);

Thiago Silva (Brazil);

Kylian Mbappé (France);

Ivan Rakitić (Croatia);

Willian Borges (Brazil);

Igor Akinfeev (Russia);

Lucas Torreira (Uruguay);

Jordan Pickford (England);

Eden Hazard (Belgium);

Danijel Subasic (Croatia);

Harry Kane (England);

Antoine Griezmann (France);

Thibaut Courtois (Belgium);

Emil Forsberg (Sweden);

Harry Maguire (England).