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FIFA
BEST MEN'S PLAYER AWARD

     
 

Ronaldo
receives the first of his
FIFA World Player of the Year
awards in 1996

Lionel Messi,
the Barcelona player became the first player to finish top of the world three seasons in a row.

 

 

 Index 
of other awards listings on footballsite
 

FIFA introduced their World Player of the Year award in 1991. The award was given to the player selected by votes cast by the coaches and captains of the member nations of FIFA.

In 2010 the award was merged with the European Footballer of the Year (France Football's Ballon d'Or) with journalists as well as coached and captains being included in the voting process. In 2010 Lionel Messi became the first winner of the FIFA Ballon d'Or. Another change came in 2016 when FIFA dropped the connection with the Ballon d'Or and went back to organising their own awards with the 'Best FIFA Men's Player' title going to Cristiano Ronaldo in the first two years.

   
   
   
   
   
   

    1991 Lothar Matthaus (Germany & Inter Milan)
    1992 Marco Van Basten (Holland & AC Milan)
    1993 Roberto Baggio (Italy & Juventus)
    1994 Romario (Brazil & Barcelona)
    1995 George Weah (Liberia & AC Milan)
    1996 Ronaldo (Brazil & Barcelona)
    1997 Ronaldo (Brazil & Inter Milan)
    1998 Zinedine Zidane (France & Juventus)
    1999 Rivaldo (Brazil & Barcelona)
    2000 Zinedine Zidane (France & Juventus)
    2001 Luis Figo (Portugal & Real Madrid)
    2002 Ronaldo (Brazil & Real Madrid)
    2003 Zinedine Zidane (France & Real Madrid)
    2004 Ronaldinho (Brazil & Barcelona)
    2005 Ronaldinho (Brazil & Barcelona)
    2006 Fabio Cannavaro (Italy & Real Madrid)
    2007 Kaka (Brazil & AC Milan)
    2008 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal & Manchester United)
    2009 Lionel Messi (Argentina & Barcelona)
    2010 Lionel Messi (Argentina & Barcelona)
    2011 Lionel Messi (Argentina & Barcelona)
    2012 Lionel Messi (Argentina & Barcelona)
    2013 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal & Real Madrid)
    2014 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal & Real Madrid)
    2015 Lionel Messi (Argentina & Barcelona)
    2016 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal & Real Madrid)
    2017 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal & Real Madrid)
    2018 Luka Modric (Croatia & Real Madrid)
    2019 Lionel Messi (Argentina & Barcelona)
    2020 Robert Lewandowski  (Poland & Bayern Munich)
    2021 Robert Lewandowski  (Poland & Bayern Munich)
    2022 Lionel Messi (Argentina & Paris Saint-Germain)
     

 

Did You Know.....
..that two Leicester City players once scored a unique goal - a shared own goal!

Read more about this and other
Own Goal
facts and figures...
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