THE BLOG BY CPD FOOTBALL | The World of Indian football and beyond by Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

Lucy Bronze and Robert Lewandowski are The Best of 2020

The Best FIFA Football Awards

The Best FIFA Football Awards™ 2020 ceremony, held as a virtual event at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, crowned two household names, Lucy Bronze and Robert Lewandowski, as the game’s outstanding players on the women’s and men’s side respectively.

Poland and FC Bayern München striker Lewandowski was named The Best FIFA Men’s Player for the first time in his career. Likewise, defender Bronze is also a maiden recipient of The Best FIFA Women’s Player Award after rounding off an impeccable spell with Olympique Lyonnais in style before returning to England to play for Manchester City WFC.

Current Netherlands women’s national-team boss Sarina Wiegman was named The Best FIFA Women’s Coach for the second time in her career following her 2017 success. Meanwhile, Jürgen Klopp claimed The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Award for the second consecutive year, having steered Liverpool FC to the English Premier League title for the first time, 30 years after their last top-flight success. As per the Rules of Allocation (art. 12), Klopp was declared the winner after a close race with Hans-Dieter Flick (FC Bayern München), with the outcome decided on voting by the national-team coaches.

Germany and FC Bayern München’s Manuel Neuer was chosen as The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper, while France and Olympique Lyonnais’ Sarah Bouhaddi capped her amazing career with The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper Award.

Teams of the year

Thousands of football players from around the world cast their votes for this year’s FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World11 and FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World11 selections:

FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World11

• Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker (Liverpool FC)
• Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool FC), Alphonso Davies* (FC Bayern München), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid CF) and Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool FC)
• Midfielders: Thiago Alcântara (FC Bayern München/Liverpool FC), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City FC) and Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern München)
• Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus FC), Robert Lewandowski (FC Bayern München) and Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)

* Alphonso Davies was included as a fourth defender in accordance with the FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World11 Rules of Allocation.

FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World11

• Goalkeeper: Christiane Endler (Paris Saint-Germain)
• Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea FC Women), Lucy Bronze (Olympique Lyonnais/Manchester City WFC) and Wendie Renard (Olympique Lyonnais)
• Midfielders: Barbara Bonansea (Juventus Women), Verónica Boquete (Utah Royals/AC Milan Women) and Delphine Cascarino (Olympique Lyonnais)
• Forwards: Pernille Harder (VfL Wolfsburg/Chelsea FC Women), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns/Manchester United WFC), Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal WFC) and Megan Rapinoe* (OL Reign)

* Megan Rapinoe was included as a fourth forward in accordance with the FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World11 Rules of Allocation.

The other awards

FIFA Puskás Award
Son Heung-min (Korea Republic) – Tottenham Hotspur FC v. Burnley FC [Premier League – England] (7 December 2019)
The irresistible solo run by the Tottenham forward was voted the best goal.

FIFA Fan Award
Marivaldo Francisco da Silva (Brazil)
Lacking the money to pay for transport, this fan walks for 12 hours, crossing three cities, to watch his team’s home matches. The Brazilian’s story received the most votes.

FIFA Fair Play Award
Mattia Agnese (Italy)
During a game, Agnese, a 17-year-old from Ospedaletti (in the Liguria region), saw an opponent fall to the ground and lose consciousness. He did not hesitate for a moment, rushing to the player’s aid, getting him into a safe position and ultimately saving his life before help arrived.