FIFA World Player Gala

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}

{{short description|Association football award}}

{{Infobox award

| name = FIFA World Player Gala Awards

| current_awards =

| subheader =

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| awarded_for = Excellence in association football team and individual achievements

| year = {{start date|1991|12|8|df=y}}

| location = Zürich, Switzerland

| country =

| presenter = FIFA

| host =

| former name =

| preshow_host =

| acts =

| website = {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20110728154133/http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/awards/gala/archive/index.html}}

| runtime =

| most_awards =

}}

FIFA World Player Gala was an association football award show presented annually by the sport's governing body, FIFA, throughout 1991–2009.{{cite web|title=Fact sheet: FIFA Awards 1991-2015|url=http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/r%26a-awards/52/01/02/144081_factsheet_fifaannualawards_english.pdf|publisher=FIFA.com|date=18 January 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122103135/http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/r%26a-awards/52/01/02/144081_factsheet_fifaannualawards_english.pdf|archive-date=22 January 2016}}

The first awarding ceremony was held on 8 December 1991 in Zürich, Switzerland.{{cite web|title=Matthaus: It can only be Lewandowski|url=https://www.fifa.com/news/matthaus-it-can-only-be-lewandowski|publisher=FIFA.com|date=3 December 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630170828/https://www.fifa.com/news/matthaus-it-can-only-be-lewandowski|archive-date=30 June 2022}} The award show was superseded first by the FIFA Ballon d'Or during 2010-15, and since 2016 by The Best FIFA Football Awards. FIFA consider the three historic versions of its gala show as subversions of the same event, and thus celebrated its 30 years anniversary in 2021.{{cite web|title=From World Player of the Year to The Best: 30 years of history|url=https://www.fifa.com/the-best-fifa-football-awards/news/from-world-player-of-the-year-to-the-best-30-years-of-history|publisher=FIFA.com|date=22 November 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122213949/https://www.fifa.com/the-best-fifa-football-awards/news/from-world-player-of-the-year-to-the-best-30-years-of-history|archive-date=22 November 2021}}{{cite web|title=A brief history of The Best|url=https://www.fifa.com/news/a-brief-history-of-the-best|publisher=FIFA.com|date=23 November 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123143726/https://www.fifa.com/news/a-brief-history-of-the-best|archive-date=23 November 2021}} FIFA's historical statistics also list the awards in one overall list, comprising the records of all three gala show versions.

Awards by year

=1991 awards=

  • World Player of the year: Lothar MATTHAEUS (GER)
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: Real Federación Española de Fútbol (Spanish FA), JORGINHO (BRA)

=1992 awards=

  • World Player of the year: Marco VAN BASTEN (NED)
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association

=1993 awards=

  • World Player of the year: Roberto BAGGIO (ITA)
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: Nandor Hidgekuti, (individual award) (HUM), Football Association of Zambia
  • Top Team of the Year Award: Germany
  • Best Mover of the Year: Colombia

=1994 awards=

=1995 awards=

  • World Player of the year: George WEAH (LBR)
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: Jacques Glassmann (FRA)
  • Top Team of the Year Award: Brazil
  • Best Mover of the Year: Jamaica

=1996 awards=

  • World Player of the year: RONALDO (BRA)
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: George WEAH (LBR)
  • Top Team of the Year Award: Brazil
  • Best Mover of the Year: South Africa

=1997 awards=

  • World Player of the year: RONALDO (BRA)
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: Irish spectators of the World Cup preliminary match versus Belgium, Jozef Zovinec (Slovak amateur player), Julie FOUDY (USA)
  • Top Team of the Year Award: Brazil
  • Best Mover of the Year: Yugoslavia

=1998 awards=

  • World Player of the year: Zinedine ZIDANE (FRA)
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: The national associations of Iran, the USA and Northern Ireland
  • Top Team of the Year Award: Brazil
  • Best Mover of the Year: Croatia

=1999 awards=

  • World Player of the year: RIVALDO (BRA)
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: New Zealand’s football community
  • Top Team of the Year Award: Brazil
  • Best Mover of the Year: Slovenia

=2000 awards=

  • World Player of the year: Zinedine ZIDANE (FRA)
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: Lucas RADEBE (RSA)
  • Top Team of the Year Award: Netherlands
  • Best Mover of the Year: Nigeria

=2001 awards=

=2002 awards=

=2003 awards=

=2004 awards=

  • World Player of the year: RONALDINHO (BRA)
  • Women's World Player of the Year: Birgit PRINZ (GER)
  • FIFA Presidential award: Haiti
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: Confederaçao Brasileira de Futebol
  • Top Team of the Year Award: Brazil
  • Best Mover of the Year: China PR
  • FIFA Interactive World Player: Thiago Carrico de Azevedo

=2005 awards=

  • World Player of the year: RONALDINHO (BRA)
  • Women's World Player of the Year: Birgit PRINZ (GER)
  • FIFA Presidential award: FRISK Anders (SWE)
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: football community of Iquitos (Peru)
  • Top Team of the Year Award: Brazil
  • Best Mover of the Year: Ghana
  • FIFA Interactive World Player: Chris Bullard

=2006 awards=

  • World Player of the year: Fabio CANNAVARO (ITA)
  • Women's World Player of the Year: MARTA (BRA)
  • FIFA Presidential award: Giacinto FACCHETTI (ITA)
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: Brazil, Spain
  • Top Team of the Year Award: Brazil
  • Best Mover of the Year: Italy
  • FIFA Interactive World Player: Andries Smit

=2007 awards=

=2008 awards=

=2009 awards=

Awards by name

Official awards given at the annual FIFA World Player Gala (note most awards were continuously given by FIFA after 2009 - just under a different FIFA Gala name):

See also

{{clear}}

References

{{reflist}}