Best FIFA Men’s Player Award Winners
The Best is an annual celebratory award hosted by FIFA( Federation de International du Football Association) to honor the best FIFA men’s Player in a calendar year.
The Award ceremony officially started in 1991, when FIFA decided to start up a ceremonial Award show to honor the best players in football each year, and also as a rivalry award to the French Ballon D’Or. In order to do this, FIFA invited coaches and Captains of national teams, media representatives, and football analysts to nominate and vote for players most deserving of the prestigious award.
Between 2010 and 2015, the FIFA World Player of The Year Award merged with The French Ballon D’Or Awards to form a joint award called FIFA Ballon D’Or and celebrate players as a joint award, but unfortunately, they broke up due to internal board issues and Ballon D’Or continued separately while FIFA rebirth their award and named it The Best FIFA Men’s Player Awards.
Here is a list of all the winners of the FIFA award since it started in 1991 as the FIFA World Player of The Year Award till date- now it has become The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award.
Lothar Mathäus
Year: 1991
Club: Internazionale
Position: Forward
Nationality: German 🇩🇪
Marco Van Basten
Year: 1992
Club: AC Milan
Position: Forward
Nationality: French 🇫🇷
Roberto Baggio
Year: 1993
Club: Juventus
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: Italian 🇮🇹
Romário
Year: 1994
Club: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Nationality: Brazilian 🇧🇷
George Weah
Year: 1995
Club: AC Milan
Position: Forward
Nationality: Liberian 🇱🇷
Ronaldo
Year: 1996
Club: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Nationality: Brazilian 🇧🇷
Ronaldo
Year: 1997
Club: Internazionale
Position: Forward
Nationality: Brazilian 🇧🇷
Zinedine Zidane
Year: 1998
Club: Juventus
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: French 🇫🇷
Rivaldo
Year: 1999
Club: Barcelona
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: Brazilian 🇧🇷
Zinedine Zidane
Year: 2000
Club: Juventus
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: French 🇫🇷
Luis Figo
Year: 2001
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Forward
Nationality: Portuguese 🇵🇹
Ronaldo
Year: 2002
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Forward
Nationality: Brazilian 🇧🇷
Zinedine Zidane
Year: 2003
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: French 🇫🇷
Ronaldinho
Year: 2004
Club: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Nationality: Brazilian 🇧🇷
Ronaldinho
Year: 2004
Club: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Nationality: Brazilian 🇧🇷
Fabio Cannavaro
Year: 2006
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Defender
Nationality: Italian 🇮🇹
Kaka
Year: 2007
Club: AC Milan
Position: Forward
Nationality: Brazilian 🇧🇷
Cristiano Ronaldo
Year: 2008
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Forward
Nationality: Portuguese 🇵🇹
Lionel Messi
Year: 2009
Club: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Nationality: Argentine 🇦🇷
Lionel Messi
Year: 2010
Club: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Nationality: Argentine 🇦🇷
Lionel Messi
Year: 2011
Club: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Nationality: Argentine 🇦🇷
Lionel Messi
Year: 2012
Club: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Nationality: Argentine 🇦🇷
Cristiano Ronaldo
Year: 2013
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Forward
Nationality: Portuguese 🇵🇹
Cristiano Ronaldo
Year: 2014
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Forward
Nationality: Portuguese 🇵🇹
Lionel Messi
Year: 2015
Club: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Nationality: Argentine 🇦🇷
Cristiano Ronaldo
Year: 2016
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Forward
Nationality: Portuguese 🇵🇹
Cristiano Ronaldo
Year: 2017
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Forward
Nationality: Portuguese 🇵🇹
Lukas Modric
Year: 2018
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: Croatian 🇭🇷
Lionel Messi
Year: 2019
Club: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Nationality: Argentine 🇦🇷
Roberto Lewandowski
Year: 2020
Club: Bayern Munich
Position: Forward
Nationality: Poland 🇵🇱
Roberto Lewandowski
Year: 2021
Club: Bayern Munich
Position: Forward
Nationality: Poland 🇵🇱
Karim Benzema
Year: 2022
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Forward
Nationality: French 🇫🇷
The Best Player FIFA Men’s Award is considered by many a more accurate football excellence award compared to its rival Ballon D’Or. The award has even expanded to giving awards to women and goalkeepers a separate award for their excellence.
Lionel Messi has won the award the most number of times, receiving the honorary award a total of six times, while his rival Cristiano Ronaldo has won it only five times. During the early Era when it was still called FIFA Player of the Year Awards, Brazil dominated the award, with 8 players winning the prestigious award out of the 19 times it was given. Barcelona has produced the most number of players winning it at the club, making them the king of the FIFA Men’s Best Player Award.