This Monday, February 27, The Best awards were delivered in Paris, recognizing the best and best of last season. The Best awards are awarded taking into account the votes of journalists, coaches, captains and fans.
Nominees and winners of The Best Awards
Best player: Lionel Messi
Karim Benzema, from Real Madrid, and Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, from PSG, were the three finalists. The Frenchman, author of 44 goals, was eligible for the award after winning the last edition of the Ballon d’Or and winning the Champions League with his club. However, he could not participate in the World Cup in Qatar due to an injury that forced him to leave the concentration of France. Messi lifted the World Cup on December 18 and was named best player of the tournament, making the Argentine the favorite to win the award this year. Mbappé, for his part, was a finalist in Qatar, where he was defeated by Argentina, although the striker became the first player in 56 years to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. In addition, the Frenchman took the Golden Boot of the tournament with 8 goals.
Best Player: Alexia Putellas
Spain’s Alexia Putellas, from Barcelona, Beth Mead, from Arsenal and Alex Morgan, from the San Diego Wave, were the finalists. The Spanish was the winner of the award last year, in addition to taking the Ballon d’Or the last two editions. She won the League and was runner-up and top scorer in the Champions League in 2021-2022, in addition to scoring 34 goals. A knee ligament tear in July has kept her off the pitch ever since. She is the first player to win the award two years in a row, though Mead had plenty of ballots. The Englishman won the Golden Boot at the Women’s Euro Cup in 2022, in addition to lifting the title and being named the best player of the tournament. Meanwhile, the American Morgan (second in The Best in 2019) was top scorer of the American League, with 15 goals, and also the top scorer and best player in CONCACAF.
Best Coach: Lionel Scaloni
Carlo Ancelotti, from Real Madrid, Lionel Scaloni, the Argentina coach, and Pep Guardiola, from Manchester City, were the nominees. The Italian won the League and raised the fourteenth white Champions, the fourth personal. The Argentine led his country to its third World Cup, the first since 1986. The Catalan, for his part, guided Manchester City to its fourth Premier in five seasons, with a tally of 99 goals. The coach was also on the verge of reaching his second consecutive Champions League final, but Real Madrid’s comeback in the last minutes of the second game of the semi-final snatched victory.
Best Trainer: Sarina Wiegman
Lyon’s Sonia Bompastor, Brazil coach Pia Sundhage and England coach Sarina Wiegman were the three finalists. Bompastor led the French team to win the League title and the Women’s Champions League last season, her first as a coach. Lyon won 21 of their 22 league games, the other tied. The Swedish Sundhage won the America’s Cup and the Dutch Wiegman has earned her place among the finalists by leading the English team to lift the Eurocup; As a Wiegman player, she won The Best in 2017 and 2020, and she hasn’t lost a game since she took charge of the England team: 22 wins and four draws in 26 games.
Best goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez
Yassine Bounou, from Sevilla, Thibaut Courtois, from Real Madrid, and Emiliano Martínez, from Aston Villa, were the finalists. The goal of Seville and Morocco, zamora Last season, he built a great World Cup, in which he only conceded one goal until the semifinal. Courtois won the League and the Champions League, which earned him the Yashin Trophy as the best in Europe. Martínez, meanwhile, took the trophy for the best goalkeeper in the World Cup and was especially decisive both in the final and in the penalties against the Netherlands.
Best Goalkeeper: Mary Earps
Chelsea’s Ann-Katrin Berger, Manchester United’s Mary Earps and Lyon’s Christiane Endler were the candidates. The German Berger was diagnosed with cancer again during the Eurocup, after four years of recovery, and despite this she continued to play the tournament. With Chelsea she won the Super League and the English Cup. Earps celebrated the Eurocup and conceded just two goals, keeping a clean sheet four times, while Endler lifted The Best last year and is now a contender after celebrating the league and the Champions League with Lyon.
Puskas Award: Marcin Oleksy
Richarlison, Marcin Oleksy and Dimitri Payet were nominated for this year’s Puskas Award, an award that recognizes the best goal of the year. Richarlison, from Tottenham, was nominated thanks to the volley he scored in the Brazil-Serbia match at the Qatar World Cup. The goal earned the Brazilian the goal of the championship award. The Polish player Oleksy, a left leg amputee from Warta Poznan, scored one of the best goals of the year with a scissor in the Polish League match against Stal Rzeszow. Complete the list of Olympique de Marseille player Dimitri Payet. The Frenchman earned the nomination for his goal from outside the area in the Conference League game against PAOK Thessaloniki.
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