December 16, (THEWILL) — The Best FIFA Football Awards announced its winners on Tuesday, December 16, at a ceremony held in Qatar.
The annual awards recognise elite performers across men’s and women’s football through voting by players, managers, fans, and media.
The men’s player category featured 11 nominees including Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, and several Paris Saint-Germain players including Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, and Vitinha competed for the honour.
Coaching nominees included Barcelona’s Hansi Flick, Liverpool’s Arne Slot, and Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta amongst seven candidates.
The women’s player shortlist comprised 17 nominees, with Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí, Alexia Putellas, and several teammates featuring prominently alongside Chelsea’s Sandy Baltimore and Lucy Bronze.
Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo also received nominations. Five coaches contested the women’s category, including Chelsea’s Sonia Bompastor and England’s Sarina Wiegman.
Gianluigi Donnarumma claimed the men’s goalkeeper award following his performances for Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, where he contributed to the former’s first UEFA Champions League triumph.
Hannah Hampton claimed the women’s goalkeeper prize after a WSL-winning campaign with Chelsea and England’s Euro 2025 victory, beating nominees including Barcelona’s Cata Coll and Orlando Pride’s Anna Moorhouse.
Santiago Montiel of Argentine club Independiente won the Puskas Award for his overhead kick against Independiente Rivadavia in May, edging Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.
“I didn’t think about it, I just hit it,” Montiel said at the time.
Lizbeth Ovalle’s scorpion kick for Tigres against Guadalajara in March earned the Marta Award for best women’s goal.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
