FIFA World Player of the Year (FIFA World Player of the Year)

FIFA World Player of the Year

The FIFA World Player of the Year is an association football award presented to the player voted as best in the world by coaches and captains of international teams. It began in 1991 as an award for the best men's player in the world In a voting system based on positional voting, each coach has three votes, worth five points, three points and one point, and the winners are ordered based on total number of points. European-based Brazilian players have dominated the award, winning 8 out of 18 times, ahead of the second country France, which won it three times. In terms of individual players who have received the award, Brazil leads with five, followed by Italy and Portugal with two each. The award's youngest winner was Ronaldo, who won at the age of 20 in 1996. He won it again in 1997 and 2002. Both Ronaldo and Ronaldinho won twice in a row. Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane won the award three times. The oldest winner is Fabio Cannavaro, who was 33 when he won in 2006. In 2010, the FIFA World Player of the Year and France Football's Ballon d'Or award were merged and the world's best male player has since been awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or each year. A women's award was added in 2001. The women's award has had fewer individual winners. So far, only six playersâ€”two Americans, two Germans, one Brazilian, and one Japaneseâ€”have won the award. The three women who have won only one award are the most recent winners: Homare Sawa in 2011, Abby Wambach in 2012, and Nadine Angerer in 2013. Marta has won it five times in a row, Birgit Prinz won three times in a row, and Mia Hamm won twice in a row. The oldest winner is Angerer, who was 35 when she won in 2013; she is also the only goalkeeper to win either the women's or men's award. The youngest winner is Marta, who won in 2006 at age 20.

Date Established : 1991

Check all the winners of FIFA World Player of the Year presented under FIFA World Player of the Year since 1991 .

Nadine Angerer

Nominations 2013 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Nadine Angerer
Marta
Abby Wambach

Abby Wambach

Nominations 2012 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Abby Wambach
Marta
Alex Morgan

Homare Sawa

Nominations 2011 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Homare Sawa
Abby Wambach
Marta

Marta

Nominations 2010 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Marta
Birgit Prinz
Fatmire Bajramaj

Lionel Messi

Nominations 2009 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo
Xavi
Marta
Birgit Prinz
Kelly Smith

Marta

Nominations 2009 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo
Xavi
Marta
Birgit Prinz
Kelly Smith

Cristiano Ronaldo

Nominations 2008 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Marta
Cristiano Ronaldo
Lionel Messi
Fernando Torres
Birgit Prinz
Cristiane

Marta

Nominations 2008 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Marta
Cristiano Ronaldo
Lionel Messi
Fernando Torres
Birgit Prinz
Cristiane

Kaká

Nominations 2007 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Birgit Prinz
Marta
Cristiane
Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo
Kaká

Marta

Nominations 2007 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Birgit Prinz
Marta
Cristiane
Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo
Kaká

Marta

Nominations 2006 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Fabio Cannavaro
Zinedine Zidane
Ronaldinho
Marta
Kristine Lilly
Renate Lingor

Fabio Cannavaro

Nominations 2006 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Fabio Cannavaro
Zinedine Zidane
Ronaldinho
Marta
Kristine Lilly
Renate Lingor

Ronaldinho

Nominations 2005 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ronaldinho
Frank Lampard
Samuel Eto'o
Birgit Prinz
Marta
Shannon Boxx

Birgit Prinz

Nominations 2005 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ronaldinho
Frank Lampard
Samuel Eto'o
Birgit Prinz
Marta
Shannon Boxx

Ronaldinho

Nominations 2004 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ronaldinho
Thierry Henry
Andriy Shevchenko
Birgit Prinz
Mia Hamm
Marta

Birgit Prinz

Nominations 2004 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ronaldinho
Thierry Henry
Andriy Shevchenko
Birgit Prinz
Mia Hamm
Marta

Birgit Prinz

Nominations 2003 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Birgit Prinz
Mia Hamm
Hanna Ljungberg
Zinedine Zidane
Thierry Henry
Ronaldo

Zinedine Zidane

Nominations 2003 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Birgit Prinz
Mia Hamm
Hanna Ljungberg
Zinedine Zidane
Thierry Henry
Ronaldo

Ronaldo

Nominations 2002 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Mia Hamm
Birgit Prinz
Sun Wen
Ronaldo
Oliver Kahn
Zinedine Zidane

Mia Hamm

Nominations 2002 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Mia Hamm
Birgit Prinz
Sun Wen
Ronaldo
Oliver Kahn
Zinedine Zidane

Mia Hamm

Nominations 2001 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Mia Hamm
Luís Figo
Tiffeny Milbrett
Sun Wen
David Beckham
Raúl

Luís Figo

Nominations 2001 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Mia Hamm
Luís Figo
Tiffeny Milbrett
Sun Wen
David Beckham
Raúl

Zinedine Zidane

Nominations 2000 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Zinedine Zidane
Luís Figo
Rivaldo

Rivaldo

Nominations 1999 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Rivaldo
David Beckham
Gabriel Batistuta

Zinedine Zidane

Nominations 1998 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Zinedine Zidane
Ronaldo
Davor Šuker

Ronaldo

Nominations 1997 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ronaldo
Roberto Carlos
Dennis Bergkamp
Zinedine Zidane

Ronaldo

Nominations 1996 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ronaldo
George Weah
Alan Shearer

George Weah

Nominations 1995 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
George Weah
Paolo Maldini
Jürgen Klinsmann

Romário

Nominations 1994 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Romário
Hristo Stoichkov
Roberto Baggio

Roberto Baggio

Nominations 1993 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Roberto Baggio
Romário
Dennis Bergkamp

Marco van Basten

Nominations 1992 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Marco van Basten
Hristo Stoichkov
Thomas Häßler

Lothar Matthäus

Nominations 1991 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Lothar Matthäus
Jean-Pierre Papin
Gary Lineker

FIFA World Player of the Year