FOOTBALL'S FINEST: Past Winners of The Best FIFA Football Awards Revealed
THE BEST OF THE BEST: A Look Back at The Best FIFA Football Award Winners
Since 2016, the international football governing body FIFA has been hosting its own annual award gala to recognize the world's most exceptional football stars. The Best FIFA Football Awards have become a prestigious event, honouring the greatest players and coaches in the sport.
GREATNESS RECOGNIZED
Over the years, football legends like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Pep Guardiola have been recognized for their outstanding achievements. The most recent winner of The Best Men's Player award is Vinicius Jr., who took home the honour at the 2024 gala in Doha, Qatar.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BEST FIFA FOOTBALL AWARDS
The Best FIFA Football Awards were first introduced in 2017 as part of FIFA's plan to create an exclusive award within its organization. After briefly partnering with France Football for the Ballon d'Or award, FIFA decided to embark on its own set of awards to recognize the top players and coaches in football.
THE ROSTER OF PAST WINNERS
Here's a look at the past winners of The Best FIFA Football Awards:
| Year | Player | Club | Nation |
| 2024 | Vinicius Jr | Real Madrid | Brazil |
| 2023 | Lionel Messi | PSG/Inter Miami | Argentina |
| 2022 | Lionel Messi | PSG | Argentina |
| 2021 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Poland |
| 2020 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Poland |
| 2019 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Argentina |
| 2018 | Luka Modric | Real Madrid | Croatia |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Portugal |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Portugal |
The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper Award
| Year | Player | Club | Nation |
| 2024 | Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa | Argentina |
| 2023 | Ederson | Manchester City | Brazil |
| 2022 | Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa | Argentina |
| 2021 | Edouard Mendy | Chelsea | Senegal |
| 2020 | Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 2019 | Alisson | Liverpool | Brazil |
| 2018 | Thibaut Courtois | Chelsea/Real Madrid | Belgium |
| 2017 | Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus | Italy |
The Best FIFA Men's Coach Award
| Year | Player | Team | Nationality |
| 2024 | Carlo Ancelotti | Real Madrid | Italy |
| 2023 | Pep Guardiola | Manchester City | Spain |
| 2022 | Lionel Scaloni | Argentina | Argentina |
| 2021 | Thomas Tuchel | Chelsea | Germany |
| 2020 | Jurgen Klopp | Liverpool | Germany |
| 2019 | Jurgen Klopp | Liverpool | Germany |
| 2018 | Didier Deschamps | France | France |
| 2017 | Zinedine Zidane | Real Madrid | France |
| 2016 | Claudio Ranieri | Leicester City | Italy |
The Best FIFA Women's Player Award
| Year | Player | Club | Nation |
| 2024 | Aitana Bonmati | Barcelona | Spain |
| 2023 | Aitana Bonmati | Barcelona | Spain |
| 2022 | Alexia Putellas | Barcelona | Spain |
| 2021 | Alexia Putellas | Barcelona | Spain |
| 2020 | Lucy Bronze | Lyon/Man City | England |
| 2019 | Megan Rapinoe | Reign FC | USA |
| 2018 | Marta | Orlando Pride | Brazil |
| 2017 | Lieke Martens | Rosengard/Barcelona | Netherlands |
| 2016 | Carli Lloyd | Houston Dash | USA |
The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper Award
| Year | Player | Club | Nation |
| 2024 | Alyssa Naeher | Chicago Red Stars | USA |
| 2023 | Mary Earps | Manchester United | England |
| 2022 | Mary Earps | Manchester United | England |
| 2021 | Christiane Endler | PSG | Chile |
| 2020 | Sarah Bouhaddi | Lyon | France |
| 2019 | Sari van Veenendaal | Arsenal/Atletico Madrid | Netherlands |
The Best FIFA Women's Coach Award
| Year | Player | Team | Nationality |
| 2024 | Emma Hayes | Chelsea/USA | England |
| 2023 | Sarina Wiegman | England | Netherlands |
| 2022 | Sarina Wiegman | England | Netherlands |
| 2021 | Emma Hayes | Chelsea | England |
| 2020 | Sarina Weigman | Netherlands | Netherlands |
| 2019 | Jill Ellis | England | USA |
| 2018 | Reynald Pedros | Lyon | France |
| 2017 | Sarina Wiegman | Netherlands | Netherlands |
| 2016 | Silvia Neid | Germany | Germany |
The Best FIFA Fair Play Award
| Year | Winner | Nationality/Club | Nominated for |
| 2024 | Thiago Maia | Brazil / Internacional | Actions in rescuing victims during the flooding in Porto Alegre. |
| 2023 | Brazil National Team | Brazil | Made anti-racism plea by wearing all-black kits for friendly vs. Guinea. |
| 2022 | Luka Lochoshvili | Georgia / Cremonese | Response to on-pitch emergency saved life of opposition player. |
| 2021 | Denmark National Team | Denmark | Response to Christian Eriksen emergency at Euro 2020. |
| 2020 | Mattia Agnese | Italy | Response to on-pitch emergency saved life of opposition player. |
| 2019 | Marcelo Bielsa | Argentina / Leeds United | Allowed Aston Villa to score uncontested goal after injury amidst promotion chase. |
| 2018 | Lennart Thy | Germany / BB Erzurumspor | Missed a club match to donate blood, saving the life of a leukemia patient. |
| 2017 | Francis Kone | Ivory Coast / Slovacko | Response to on-pitch emergency saved life of opposition player. |
| 2016 | Atletico Nacional | Colombia | Requested Copa Sudamericana final opponents Chapecoense be awarded title after flight disaster. |
FIFA Puskas Award — the prize for the best men's goal*
| Year | Player | Team | Match / Goal |
| 2024 | Alejandro Garnacho | Manchester United | vs. Everton (3-0) |
| 2023 | Guilherme Madruga | Botafogo | vs. Novorizontino (1-0) |
| 2022 | Marcin Oleksy | Warta Poznan | vs. Stal Rzeszow |
| 2021 | Erik Lamela | Tottenham | vs. Arsenal (1-0) |
| 2020 | Son Heung-Min | Tottenham | vs. Burnley (3-0) |
| 2019 | Daniel Zsori | Debrecen | vs. Ferencvaros (2-1) |
| 2018 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | vs. Everton (1-0) |
| 2017 | Oliver Giroud | Arsenal | vs. Crystal Palace (1-0) |
| 2016 | Mohd Faiz Subri | Penang | vs. Pahang (4-1) |
| 2015 | Wendell Lira | Goianesia | vs. Atletico Goianiense (1-0) |
| 2014 | James Rodriguez | Colombia | vs. Uruguay (1-0) |
| 2013 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Sweden | vs. England (4-2) |
| 2012 | Miroslav Stoch | Fenerbahce | vs. Genclerbirligi (6-1) |
| 2011 | Neymar | Santos | vs. Flamengo (4-5) |
| 2010 | Hamit Altintop | Turkey | vs. Kazakhstan (2-0) |
| 2009 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Man United | vs. Porto (1-0) |
* Until 2024, the Puskas Award was given to the best goal in the world over that year, men's or women's
FIFA Marta Award — the prize for the best women's goal
| Year | Player | Team | Match / Goal |
| 2024 | Marta | Brazil | vs. Jamaica (4-0) |
From the inaugural winner of The Best Men's Player award to the most recent recipient, this list showcases the crème de la crème of football talent.
Henry
just love writing about football and playing video games, love my quiet time also. contact me @ [email protected]
