The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award presented annually by the sport's governing body, FIFA, between 1991 and 2015. Coaches and captains of international teams and media representatives selected the player they deem to have performed the best in the previous calendar year. The men's award was subsumed into the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010, and after 2015 it became part of The Best FIFA Football Awards.
Between 1991 and 2009, 14 football players won this award. Who is the best FIFA World Player of the Year winner? Show your opinions by voting them!
1. Lother Matthaus(1991)
Lothar Matthaus is a German football manager and former player. After captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 FIFA World Cup where he lifted the World Cup trophy, he was named European Footballer of the Year. In 1991, he was named the first ever FIFA World Player of the Year, and remains the only German to have received the award. Matthaus held the record of having played in five FIFA World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998), more than any other outfield player in men's football and holds the record for the most World Cup matches played by a single player (25 games). He also won UEFA Euro 1980, and played in the 1984, 1988, and 2000 UEFA European Football Championships. Matthaus is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, and was renowned for his perceptive passing, positional sense, well-timed tackling, as well as powerful shooting.
2. Marco van Basten(1992)
Marco van Basten is a Dutch football player, who played for Ajax and A.C. Milan, as well as the Netherlands national team, as a striker. He is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He scored 300 goals in a high-profile career. Playing for the Netherlands, Van Basten won UEFA Euro 1988 where he was named player of the tournament. At club level, he won three Eredivisie titles and the Cup Winners' Cup with Ajax, and three Serie A titles and two European Cups with Milan. Known for his close ball control, attacking intelligence and spectacular strikes and volleys, Van Basten was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1992 and won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1988, 1989 and 1992. In 1998, he was ranked sixth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll, tenth in the European player of the Century election held by the IFFHS and 12th in the IFFHS' World Player of the Century election.
3. Roberto Baggio(1993)
Roberto Baggio is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder. Renowned for his curling free-kicks, dribbling skills, and goalscoring, Baggio is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. In 1999, he came fourth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll, and was chosen on the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002. In 1993, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or. Baggio is the only Italian to score in three World Cups(1990,1994,1998), and with nine goals holds the record for most goals scored in World Cup tournaments for Italy, along with Paolo Rossi and Christian Vieri. Baggio has won two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and a UEFA Cup. He was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
4. Romario(1994)
Romario is a Brazilian footballer. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Romario starred for Brazil in their 1994 FIFA World Cup success, receiving the FIFA Golden Ball as player of the tournament. He was named FIFA World Player of the Year the same year. He came fifth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll in 1999, was elected to the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002, and was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players in 2004. In 1993, he moved to FC Barcelona and became part of Johan Cruyff's "Dream Team". With 55 goals in 70 appearances for Brazil, Romario is the fourth-highest goalscorer for his national team. He is second on the all-time list of Brazilian league's top scorers with 154 goals. While finishing as a top goalscorer in many different competitions, he is one of very few strikers to surpass the mark of 1,000 goals and is the second-most prolific goalscorer in the history of football.
5. George Weah(1995)
George Weah is a Liberian footballer currently serving as the 25th President of Liberia,. During his football career, he played as a striker. Wenger first brought him to Europe, signing him for Monaco in 1988. Weah moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 1992 where he won Ligue 1 in 1994 and became the top scorer of the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League. He signed for Milan in 1995 where he spent four successful seasons, winning Serie A twice. At international level, Weah represented Liberia at the African Cup of Nations on two occasions, winning 60 caps and scoring 22 goals for his country.Widely regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time, in 1995, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or, becoming the first and to date only African player to win these awards. In 1989, 1994 and 1995, he was also named the African Footballer of the Year, and in 1996, he was named African Player of the Century.
6. Ronaldo(1996,1997,2002)
Ronaldo is a Brazilian footballer who played as a striker. By 23, he had scored over 200 goals for club and country. Ronaldo won the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1996, 1997 and 2002, the Ballon d'Or in 1997 and 2002, and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year in 1998. He was La Liga Best Foreign Player in 1997 and he was named Serie A Footballer of the Year in 1998. He was inducted into the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame and the Italian Football Hall of Fame. Ronaldo played for Brazil in 98 matches, scoring 62 goals. Ronaldo was the youngest member of the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup. At the 1998 World Cup, he received the Golden Ball for player of the tournament. He won a second World Cup in 2002. Ronaldo scored twice in the final, and received the Golden Boot as the tournament's top goalscorer. During the 2006 World Cup, Ronaldo scored his 15th World Cup goal. He also won the Copa América in 1997, where he was player of the tournament, and 1999, where he was top goalscorer.
7. Zinedine Zidane(1998,2000,2003)
Zinedine Zidane is a French professional football player. At club level, Zidane won two Serie A league titles, one La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League. Zidane also won an Intercontinental Cup and a UEFA Super Cup. Capped 108 times by France, Zidane won the 1998 FIFA World Cup, while also winning UEFA Euro 2000, being named Player of the Tournament. The World Cup triumph made him a national hero in France, and he received the Legion of Honour in 1998. He also received the Golden Ball for player of the tournament at the 2006 World Cup. Zidane received many individual accolades as a player, including being named the FIFA World Player of the Year three times, in 1998, 2000 and 2003, and also winning the 1998 Ballon d'Or. He was Ligue 1 Player of the Year in 1996, Serie A Footballer of the Year in 2001, and La Liga Best Foreign Player in 2002. In 2004, he was named the best European footballer of the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. Zidane is one of eight players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or.
8. Rivaldo(1999)
Rivaldo is a Brazilian footballer. He spent five years with Spanish club Barcelona, where he won the 1998 and 1999 Spanish La Liga championship and the 1998 Copa del Rey. With 130 goals for Barcelona he is the club's ninth highest goalscorer. From 1993 and 2003, Rivaldo played 74 matches and scored 35 goals for Brazil and is the seventh highest goalscorer. He helped Brazil reach the final of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and won the 1999 Copa América where he was named player of the tournament. Rivaldo starred alongside Ronaldo and Ronaldinho in the 2002 FIFA World Cup winning team. He was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 1998 and 2002. In 1999, he won the Ballon d'Or and was named FIFA World Player of the Year. He is an inductee to the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame.
9. Luis Figo(2001)
Luis Figo is a Portuguese professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. He won 127 caps for the Portugal national team. His 106 assists are the second-most in La Liga history. He won the 2000 Ballon d'Or and 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year. Figo is one of the few football players to have played for both Spanish rival clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. Figo had a successful career highlighted by several trophy wins, including the Portuguese Cup, four La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, three Spanish Super Cups, one UEFA Champions League title, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, two UEFA Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, four Serie A titles, one Italian Cup and three Italian Super Cups. On the international level, he scored 32 goals for Portugal, representing the nation at three European Championships and two World Cups.
10. Ronaldinho(2004,2005)
Ronaldinho is a Brazilian former professional footballer. Ronaldinho played 97 matches for the Brazil national team, scoring 33 goals and representing his country in two FIFA World Cups. He was named in the 2002 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. As captain, he led Brazil to their second Confederations Cup title in 2005 and was named Man of the Match in the final. He played for Paris Saint-Germain in France before signing for Barcelona in 2003. In his second season with Barcelona, he won his first FIFA World Player of the Year award, as Barcelona won La Liga. The seasonfollowed is considered one of the best in his career as he was instrumental in Barcelona winning the UEFA Champions League, as well as another La Liga title, giving Ronaldinho his first career double. Ronaldinho also received his second FIFA World Player of the Year award, as well as the Ballon d'Or. He was included in the UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFA World XI three times, named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year in 2006 and the South American Footballer of the Year in 2013.
11. Fabio Cannavaro(2006)
Fabio Cannavaro is an Italian former professional footballer He spent the majority of his career in Italy. He started his career at Napoli before spending seven years at Parma, with whom he won two Coppa Italia titles, the 1999 Supercoppa Italiana, and the 1999 UEFA Cup. After spells at Inter and Juventus, he transferred from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2006, with whom he won consecutive La Liga titles in 2007 and 2008. In total, he has represented Italy at four World Cups, two UEFA European Championships, the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He is currently Italy's second all-time appearance holder. Cannavaro was named the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, and won the Ballon d'Or award in 2006. In 2006 and 2007 he was named in the FIFA World XI. In 2007, he was in the six man shortlist for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
12. Kaka(2007)
Kaka is a Brazilian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In Italy, Kaka won a league title and was named the Serie A Footballer of the Year twice. In 2005, Milan finished runners up in the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final with Kaka as the top assist provider of the tournament, and named the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year. He led Milan to win the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final and was the tournament's top goal scorer. He won the FIFA World Player of the Year, the Ballon d'Or, the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker awards. Kaka made his debut for the Brazil national team in 2002, and was selected for their victorious World Cup squad that year, as well as the 2006 and 2010 tournaments, leading the latter tournament in assists. He was also a member of Brazil's 2005 and 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup-winning squads, winning the Golden Ball Award in 2009 as the tournament's best player. In 2010, he was named in the A.C. Milan Hall of Fame.
13. Cristiano Ronaldo(2008)
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional footballer Ronaldo has a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards, the most for a European player, and is the first player to win four European Golden Shoes. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time, he has won 27 trophies in his career, including five league titles, five UEFA Champions League titles and one UEFA European Championship. A prolific goalscorer, Ronaldo holds the records for most official goals scored in Europe's top-five leagues (409), the UEFA Champions League (121), the UEFA European Championship (9), as well as those for most assists in the UEFA Champions League (34) and the UEFA European Championship (6). He has scored over 690 senior career goals for club and country. Ronaldo was named the best Portuguese player of all time by the Portuguese Football Federation in 2015.
14. Lionel Messi(2009)
Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards, four of which he won consecutively, and a record five European Golden Shoes. He has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he has won 32 trophies, including nine La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles and six Copas del Rey. Both a prolific goalscorer and a creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most official goals scored in La Liga (401), a La Liga season (50), a club football season in Europe (73), a calendar year (91), El Clásico (26), most hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League (8), as well as those for most assists in La Liga (162) and the Copa América (11). He has scored over 660 senior career goals for club and country.
Which 5 do you think are the top 5 winners of FIFA World Player of the Year award?