The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award Winners From 1991 to Present

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. 

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