The Best FIFA Men's Player
| The Best FIFA Men's Player | |
|---|---|
| Current: The Best FIFA Football Awards 2018 | |
| Presented by | FIFA |
| Formerly called | FIFA World Player of the Year (1991–2009) FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015) |
| First awarded | 9 January 2017 |
| Current holder |  Luka Modrić |
| Most awards |  Cristiano Ronaldo (5 times)  Lionel Messi (5 times) |
| Website | fifa.com |
The Best FIFA Men's Player is an association football award presented annually by the sport's governing body, FIFA, to the world's best men's player.[1] The award is aimed at reviving the FIFA World Player of the Year, which was merged with France Football 's Ballon d'Or in 2010 to become the FIFA Ballon d'Or in a six-year partnership.[2][3]
History
In 2010, the FIFA World Player of the Year award combined with the Ballon d'Or to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or in a six-year partnership.[4] FIFA presided over the FIFA Ballon d'Or after agreeing to pay £13million for merge of the two major player awards with France Football. The six editions of the FIFA Ballon d'Or were dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as part of their ongoing rivalry. In 2016, the Ballon d’Or again lost its ‘FIFA’ tag and would be voted for exclusively by journalists, while the FIFA World Player of the Year award — which ran from 1991 to 2009 — was resurrected, this time as The Best FIFA Men's Player.[5]
According to reports, FIFA’s decision not to renew the deal was made in order to improve the organisation’s strained relationship with England’s FA. This was based on the fact the annual ceremony was held in Zurich – and new FIFA president Gianni Infantino wanted to move the next one to London.[6]
Criteria and voting
The selection criteria for the players of the year are sporting performance, as well as general conduct on and off the pitch.
The votes are decided by media representatives, national team coaches, and national team captains. In October 2016, it was announced that the general public would also be allowed to vote. Each group has 25% of the overall vote.[7]
Winners
Wins by player
| Player | Winner | Second place | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi
|
5 (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015) | 6 (2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) | — |
| Cristiano Ronaldo
|
5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) | 5 (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018) | 1 (2007) |
 Zinedine Zidane
|
3 (1998, 2000, 2003) | 1 (2006) | 2 (1997, 2002) |
 Ronaldo
|
3 (1996, 1997, 2002) | 1 (1998) | 1 (2003) |
| Ronaldinho
|
2 (2004, 2005) | — | 1 (2006) |
| Romário
|
1 (1994) | 1 (1993) | — |
 George Weah
|
1 (1995) | 1 (1996) | — |
| Luís Figo
|
1 (2001) | 1 (2000) | — |
 Roberto Baggio
|
1 (1993) | — | 1 (1994) |
| Rivaldo
|
1 (1999) | — | 1 (2000) |
 Lothar Matthäus
|
1 (1991) | — | — |
 Marco van Basten
|
1 (1992) | — | — |
| Fabio Cannavaro
|
1 (2006) | — | — |
| Kaká
|
1 (2007) | — | — |
| Luka Modrić
|
1 (2018) | — | — |
Wins by country
| Country | Players | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil
|
5 | 8 |
| Portugal
|
2 | 6 |
| Italy
|
2 | 2 |
| Argentina
|
1 | 5 |
| France
|
1 | 3 |
| Croatia
|
1 | 1 |
| Germany
|
1 | 1 |
 Liberia
|
1 | 1 |
| Netherlands
|
1 | 1 |
Wins by club
| Club | Players | Total |
|---|---|---|
 Real Madrid
|
6 | 9 |
| Barcelona
|
5 | 10 |
| Milan
|
3 | 3 |
| Juventus
|
2 | 3 |
| Internazionale
|
2 | 2 |
 Manchester United
|
1 | 1 |
See also
Notes
- ^ Weah was signed by Milan from Paris Saint-Germain midway through 1995.
- ^ Klinsmann was signed by Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur midway through 1995.
- ^ Ronaldo was signed by Barcelona from PSV Eindhoven midway through 1996.
- ^ Shearer was signed by Newcastle United from Blackburn Rovers midway through 1996.
- ^ Figo was signed by Real Madrid from Barcelona midway through 2000.
- ^ Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Internazionale midway through 2002.
- ^ Cannavaro was signed by Real Madrid from Juventus midway through 2006.
- ^ Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Manchester United midway through 2009.
References
- ^ "The birth of The Best FIFA Football Awards". FIFA.com. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Ballon d'Or vs Best FIFA Men's Player Award". Dailymail. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ "Ballon d'Or and Best FIFA Men's Player awards explained". Sky Sports. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ "When are The Best FIFA Football Awards 2016?". Mirror. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Fifa's acrimonious rupture from Ballon d'Or award driven by objective to improve FA relations". The Sun. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "What is the difference between the Fifa Men's Player Award and Ballon d'Or?". The Sun. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "The fans take centre stage". FIFA.com. 31 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
