Since 2016, international football governing body FIFA has hosted its own annual award gala to recognize some of the world’s most illustrious stars from around the globe.
Formerly partnering with the Ballon d’Or ceremony, FIFA has since split off to put on its own ceremony known as The Best awards, held annually either at the end of the calendar year or in January.
Greats such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Pep Guardiola are just a few of the individuals who have been recognized over the years of the award’s lifetime. Most recently, Vinicius Jr. won The Best Men’s Player award at the 2024 gala in Doha, Qatar.
The Sporting News brings you the full list of individuals who have achieved greatness at FIFA’s recognition since the awards began.
MORE: A full list of winners and nominees for all of FIFA’s The Best awards in 2024
What are The Best FIFA Football Awards?
The Best FIFA Football Awards have been handed out since 2017 as part of FIFA’s plan to create an award solely within its organisation.
Briefly, FIFA partnered with France Football for the Ballon d’Or award, but that ended in 2016. Football’s governing body then embarked on its own set of awards for the top players and coaches in the sport.
The Ballon d’Or has been in circulation since 1956, and despite FIFA’s global standing as a football entity, The Best awards still have some catching up to do to be considered of the same prestige as the Ballon d’Or.
MORE: See who Lionel Messi voted for at FIFA’s 2024 The Best Awards
FIFA The Best past award winners
Below is the full tables of former winners in the main awards since 2016.
The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award
| Year | Player | Club | Nation |
| 2024 | Vinicius Jr | Real Madrid | Brazil |
| 2023 | Lionel Messi | PSG/Inter Miami | Argentina |
| 2022 | Lionel Messi | PSG | Argentina |
| 2021 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Poland |
| 2020 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Poland |
| 2019 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Argentina |
| 2018 | Luka Modric | Real Madrid | Croatia |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Portugal |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Portugal |
The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper Award
| Year | Player | Club | Nation |
| 2024 | Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa | Argentina |
| 2023 | Ederson | Manchester City | Brazil |
| 2022 | Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa | Argentina |
| 2021 | Edouard Mendy | Chelsea | Senegal |
| 2020 | Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 2019 | Alisson | Liverpool | Brazil |
| 2018 | Thibaut Courtois | Chelsea/Real Madrid | Belgium |
| 2017 | Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus | Italy |
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Award
| Year | Player | Team | Nationality |
| 2024 | Carlo Ancelotti | Real Madrid | Italy |
| 2023 | Pep Guardiola | Manchester City | Spain |
| 2022 | Lionel Scaloni | Argentina | Argentina |
| 2021 | Thomas Tuchel | Chelsea | Germany |
| 2020 | Jurgen Klopp | Liverpool | Germany |
| 2019 | Jurgen Klopp | Liverpool | Germany |
| 2018 | Didier Deschamps | France | France |
| 2017 | Zinedine Zidane | Real Madrid | France |
| 2016 | Claudio Ranieri | Leicester City | Italy |
The Best FIFA Women’s Player Award
| Year | Player | Club | Nation |
| 2024 | Aitana Bonmati | Barcelona | Spain |
| 2023 | Aitana Bonmati | Barcelona | Spain |
| 2022 | Alexia Putellas | Barcelona | Spain |
| 2021 | Alexia Putellas | Barcelona | Spain |
| 2020 | Lucy Bronze | Lyon/Man City | England |
| 2019 | Megan Rapinoe | Reign FC | USA |
| 2018 | Marta | Orlando Pride | Brazil |
| 2017 | Lieke Martens | Rosengard/Barcelona | Netherlands |
| 2016 | Carli Lloyd | Houston Dash | USA |
The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper Award
| Year | Player | Club | Nation |
| 2024 | Alyssa Naeher | Chicago Red Stars | USA |
| 2023 | Mary Earps | Manchester United | England |
| 2022 | Mary Earps | Manchester United | England |
| 2021 | Christiane Endler | PSG | Chile |
| 2020 | Sarah Bouhaddi | Lyon | France |
| 2019 | Sari van Veenendaal | Arsenal/Atletico Madrid | Netherlands |
The Best FIFA Women’s Coach Award
| Year | Player | Team | Nationality |
| 2024 | Emma Hayes | Chelsea/USA | England |
| 2023 | Sarina Wiegman | England | Netherlands |
| 2022 | Sarina Wiegman | England | Netherlands |
| 2021 | Emma Hayes | Chelsea | England |
| 2020 | Sarina Weigman | Netherlands | Netherlands |
| 2019 | Jill Ellis | England | USA |
| 2018 | Reynald Pedros | Lyon | France |
| 2017 | Sarina Wiegman | Netherlands | Netherlands |
| 2016 | Silvia Neid | Germany | Germany |
The Best FIFA Fair Play Award
| Year | Winner | Nationality/Club | Nominated for |
| 2024 | Thiago Maia | Brazil / Internacional | Actions in rescuing victims during the flooding in Porto Alegre. |
| 2023 | Brazil National Team | Brazil | Made anti-racism plea by wearing all-black kits for friendly vs. Guinea. |
| 2022 | Luka Lochoshvili | Georgia / Cremonese | Response to on-pitch emergency saved life of opposition player. |
| 2021 | Denmark National Team | Denmark | Response to Christian Eriksen emergency at Euro 2020. |
| 2020 | Mattia Agnese | Italy | Response to on-pitch emergency saved life of opposition player. |
| 2019 | Marcelo Bielsa | Argentina / Leeds United | Allowed Aston Villa to score uncontested goal after injury amidst promotion chase. |
| 2018 | Lennart Thy | Germany / BB Erzurumspor | Missed a club match to donate blood, saving the life of a leukemia patient. |
| 2017 | Francis Kone | Ivory Coast / Slovacko | Response to on-pitch emergency saved life of opposition player. |
| 2016 | Atletico Nacional | Colombia | Requested Copa Sudamericana final opponents Chapecoense be awarded title after flight disaster. |
FIFA Puskas Award — the prize for the best men’s goal*
| Year | Player | Team | Match / Goal |
| 2024 | Alejandro Garnacho | Manchester United | vs. Everton (3-0) |
| 2023 | Guilherme Madruga | Botafogo | vs. Novorizontino (1-0) |
| 2022 | Marcin Oleksy | Warta Poznan | vs. Stal Rzeszow |
| 2021 | Erik Lamela | Tottenham | vs. Arsenal (1-0) |
| 2020 | Son Heung-Min | Tottenham | vs. Burnley (3-0) |
| 2019 | Daniel Zsori | Debrecen | vs. Ferencvaros (2-1) |
| 2018 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | vs. Everton (1-0) |
| 2017 | Oliver Giroud | Arsenal | vs. Crystal Palace (1-0) |
| 2016 | Mohd Faiz Subri | Penang | vs. Pahang (4-1) |
| 2015 | Wendell Lira | Goianesia | vs. Atletico Goianiense (1-0) |
| 2014 | James Rodriguez | Colombia | vs. Uruguay (1-0) |
| 2013 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Sweden | vs. England (4-2) |
| 2012 | Miroslav Stoch | Fenerbahce | vs. Genclerbirligi (6-1) |
| 2011 | Neymar | Santos | vs. Flamengo (4-5) |
| 2010 | Hamit Altintop | Turkey | vs. Kazakhstan (2-0) |
| 2009 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Man United | vs. Porto (1-0) |
* Until 2024, the Puskas Award was given to the best goal in the world over that year, men’s or women’s
FIFA Marta Award — the prize for the best women’s goal
| Year | Player | Team | Match / Goal |
| 2024 | Marta | Brazil | vs. Jamaica (4-0) |
