Everything from The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022

Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Beth Mead and Alexia Putella amongst those at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022.

Virgil van Dijk, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Achraf Hakimi, Casemiro and Joao Cancelo stand on stage after being included in the FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 2022 squad during The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 on February 27, 2023 in Paris, France. Image from FIFPRO.

Held on 27 February 2023 in Paris, France, The Best FIFA Football Awards™ 2022 celebrated the best male and female players of the sport. Annually honouring the outstanding members of the game, The Best FIFA Football Awards is where the highest and most reputable coaches, footballers and worldwide fans are celebrated.

How the best are nominated and voted

In the first stage, a group of experts representing FIFA and external football interest groups make a shortlist of candidates. Specifically, each member chooses who they consider to be the best three players, coaches and goalkeepers. With these choices, two lists of eleven candidates are compiled for male and female players. There’s another list for coaches and goalkeepers.

After confirmation, the second stage includes a jury which is made up of four different groups in the world of football. These include: The captains of the 211 soccer teams that are members of FIFA; the selectors of the 211 FIFA member teams; a chosen journalist who represents each nation and fans registered with FIFA.com who vote online. As each group represents 25%, they have equal voting power. They choose their top three from the above lists of candidates using a point system of five, three or one point.

The Awards are bestowed on the basis of on-pitch performance and general conduct on and off the pitch for players, and on the basis of the on-pitch performance and general behaviour of their teams on and off the pitch for coaches.

Lionel Messi (Argentina / Paris Saint-Germain FC) wins The Best FIFA Men’s Player trophy by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 at Concert hall Salle Pleyel, on February 27, 2023 in Paris, France.

The complete list of winners:

The Best FIFA Men’s Player award: Lionel Messi
- Messi also won 2019 Best FIFA Men’s Player award and becomes the third player to receive the accolade twice, after Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski.
The Best FIFA Women’s Player award: Alexia Putella
- The Spain midfielder has been rewarded for an exceptional 2021/22 season in which she captained Barcelona to a domestic treble and a place in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final.
FIFA Puskás Award: Marcin Oleksy
- The accolade recognises the year’s most spectacular strike across men’s and women’s football, with Oleksy joining the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the Puskás Award roll of honour.
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach: Lionel Scaloni
- Scaloni was recognised with the illustrious honour after leading Argentina to a FIFA World Cup™ triumph at Qatar 2022. Scaloni received the prize at The Best FIFA Football Awards™ ceremony in Paris, having finished ahead of finalists Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola in the voting.
The Best FIFA Women’s Coach award: Sarina Wiegman
- Wiegman, who also took the prize in 2017 and 2020 when in charge of the Netherlands women’s national team, was announced as the winner at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022™
The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper honour: Emiliano Martinez
- Martinez has been bestowed with the prestigious honour after playing a starring role in Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup™ success.
The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper award: Mary Earps
- Earps was one of England’s standout players as the nation won the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022. She has also been a consistently impressive performer for club side Manchester United.