"World Soccer" Awards


Since 1982, the English magazine World Soccer has its readers select winners for its awards in three categories: Player of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Team of the Year.


Player of the Year

YEAR    WINNER (club and country)                  percentage of votes

1982    Paolo ROSSI (Juventus & Italy)                     23
1983    Artur Antunes ZICO (Udinese & Brazil)              28
1984    Michel PLATINI (Juventus & France)                 54
1985    Michel PLATINI (Juventus & France)                 21
1986    Diego MARADONA (Napoli & Argentina)                36
1987    Ruud GULLIT (Milan & Netherlands)                  39
1988    Marco VAN BASTEN (Milan & Netherlands)             43
1989    Ruud GULLIT (Milan & Netherlands)                  24
1990    Lothar MATTHÄUS (Inter Milan & Germany)            22
1991    Jean Pierre PAPIN (Marseille & France)             25
1992    Marco VAN BASTEN (Milan & Netherlands)             19
1993    Roberto BAGGIO (Juventus & Italy)                  14
1994    Paolo MALDINI (Milan & Italy)                      27
1995    Gianluca VIALLI (Juventus & Italy)                 18
1996    RONALDO Nazario de Lima (Barcelona & Brazil)       17
1997    RONALDO Nazario de Lima (Inter Milan & Brazil)     27
1998    Zinedine ZIDANE (Juventus & France)                23
1999    RIVALDO Vitor Borba Ferreira (Barcelona & Brazil)  42  
2000    Luis FIGO (Real Madrid & Portugal)                 26
2001    Michael OWEN (Liverpool & England)                 31
2002    RONALDO Nazario de Lima (Real Madrid & Brazil)     26
2003    Pavel NEDVED (Juventus & Czech Republic)           36
2004    Ronaldo de Assis "RONALDINHO" (Barcelona & Brazil) 29
2005    Ronaldo de Assis "RONALDINHO" (Barcelona & Brazil) 39
2006    Fabio CANNAVARO (Juventus/Real Madrid & Italy)     40
2007    Ricardo Izecson dos Santos "KAKÁ (Milan & Brazil)  53
2008    Cristiano RONALDO (Manchester United & Portugal)   48
2009    Lionel MESSI (Barcelona & Argentina)               43
2010    Xavier Hernández "XAVI" (Barcelona & Spain)        26
2011    Lionel MESSI (Barcelona & Argentina)               60
2012    Lionel MESSI (Barcelona & Argentina)               47
2013    Cristiano RONALDO (Real Madrid & Portugal) 
2014    Cristiano RONALDO (Real Madrid & Portugal) 
2015    Lionel MESSI (Barcelona & Argentina)
2016    Cristiano RONALDO (Real Madrid & Portugal) 
2017    Cristiano RONALDO (Real Madrid & Portugal)
2018    Luka MODRIC (Real Madrid & Croatia)
2019    Lionel MESSI (Barcelona & Argentina)   
2020    Robert LEWANDOWSKI (Bayern Munich & Poland)
2021    Robert LEWANDOWSKI (Bayern Munich & Poland)
2022    Lionel MESSI (Paris Saint Germain & Argentina)
2023    Erling HAALAND (Manchester City & Norway)

Manager of the Year

YEAR    WINNER (team(s))                           percentage of votes

1982    Enzo BEARZOT (Italy)                               49
1983    Sepp PIONTEK (Denmark)                             29
1984    Michel HIDALGO (France)                            30
1985    Terry VENABLES (Barcelona)                         30
1986    Guy THYS (Belgium)                                 15
1987    Johan CRUYFF (Ajax)                                25
1988    Rinus MICHELS (Netherlands & Bayer Leverkusen)     48
1989    Arrigo SACCHI (Milan)                              42
1990    Franz BECKENBAUER (West Germany & Marseille)       53
1991    Michel PLATINI (France)                            42
1992    Richard MÖLLER-NIELSEN (Denmark)                   28
1993    Alex FERGUSON (Manchester United)                  21
1994    Carlos Alberto PARREIRA (Brazil)                   17
1995    Louis VAN GAAL (Ajax)                              42
1996    Berti VOGTS (Germany)                              28
1997    Ottmar HITZFELD (Borussia Dortmund)                17
1998    Arsčne WENGER (Arsenal)                            28
1999    Alex FERGUSON (Manchester United)                  61
2000    Dino ZOFF (Italy)                                  18
2001    Gérard HOULLIER (Liverpool)                        28
2002    Guus HIDDINK (South Korea & PSV)                   28           
2003    Carlo ANCELOTTI (Milan)                            20  
2004    José MOURINHO (F.C. Porto & Chelsea)               36     
2005    José MOURINHO (Chelsea)                            34    
2006    Marcello LIPPI (Italy)                             36
2007    Alex FERGUSON (Manchester United)                  26
2008    Alex FERGUSON (Manchester United)                  38
2009    Josep GUARDIOLA (Barcelona)                        62
2010    José MOURINHO (Inter Milan & Real Madrid)          48
2011    Josep GUARDIOLA (Barcelona)                        33
2012    Vicente DEL BOSQUE (Spain)                         28
2013    Josef HEYNCKES (Bayern Munich) 
2014    Joachim LÖW (Germany)
2015    LUIS ENRIQUE Martinez (Barcelona)
2016    Claudio RANIERI (Leicester City)
2017    Zinedine ZIDANE (Real Madrid)
2018    Didier DESCHAMPS (France)
2019    Jurgen KLOPP (Liverpool)
2020    Hans-Dieter FLICK (Bayern Munich) 
2021    Roberto MANCINI (Italy)
2022    Lionel SCALONI (Argentina)
2023    Josep GUARDIOLA (Manchester City)

Team of the Year

YEAR    WINNER                                     percentage of votes

1982    Brazil                                             30
1983    Hamburger SV                                       29
1984    France                                             45
1985    Everton FC                                         42
1986    Argentina                                          15
1987    FC Porto                                           38
1988    Netherlands                                        43
1989    Milan AC                                           51
1990    West Germany                                       28
1991    France                                             20
1992    Denmark                                            37
1993    Parma AC                                           24
1994    Milan AC                                           33
1995    Ajax                                               50
1996    Nigeria (Olympic Team)                             31
1997    Borussia Dortmund                                  20
1998    France                                             35
1999    Manchester United                                  61
2000    France                                             33
2001    Liverpool FC                                       26
2002    Brazil                                             24
2003    Milan AC                                           23
2004    Greece                                             25
2005    Liverpool FC                                       27
2006    Barcelona                                          42
2007    Iraq                                               22
2008    Spain                                              41
2009    Barcelona                                          76
2010    Spain                                              63
2011    FC Barcelona                                       44
2012    Spain                                              47
2013    Bayern Munich
2014    Germany
2015    FC Barcelona
2016    Leicester City
2017    Real Madrid
2018    France
2019    Liverpool
2020    Bayern Munich 
2021    Italy
2022    Argentina
2023    Manchester City

Women Player of the Year

YEAR    WINNER (club and country)             

2020    Lucy BRONZE (Olympique Lyonnais - England) 
2021    Alexia Putellas (Barcelona - Spain)
2022    Beth MEAD (Arsenal – England)
2023    Aitana BONMATÍ (Barcelona – Spain)

Young Player of the Year

YEAR    WINNER (club and country)                  percentage of votes

2005    Robson de Souza "ROBINHO" (Santos/Real Madrid & Brazil)     30
2006    Lionel MESSI (Barcelona & Argentina)                        36
2007    Lionel MESSI (Barcelona & Argentina)                        34
2008    Lionel MESSI (Barcelona & Argentina)                        44 
2009    Sergio AGÜERO (Atlético de Madrid & Argentina)              45
2010    Thomas MÜLLER (Bayern Munich & Germany)                     46
2011    NEYMAR da Silva Santos (Santos & Brazil)                    29

Referee of the Year

YEAR    WINNER (country)                  percentage of votes
 
2005    Pierluigi COLLINA                                  31
2006    Horacio ELIZONDO (Argentina)                       39

Note: Not awarded after 2007.

About this document

Prepared and maintained by José Luis Pierrend for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: José Luis Pierrend (josepie@hotmail.com)
Last updated: 16 Apr 2024

(C) Copyright José Luis Pierrend and RSSSF 1998/2024
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.