Soccer’s 10 Most Prestigious Awards

In a game where every touch, pass, and goal can echo through history, individual brilliance is celebrated on the grandest of stages.

Even though it is a team sport, the beautiful game leaves a spot open for all the great moments of personal brilliance. From dazzling footwork to leave defenders in the dust to tactical genius for a comeback, the players and coaches who define these moments are immortalized with prestigious awards.

However, not all awards are the same, and the majority means more than just objects to shine atop a mantelpiece: a symbol of peer recognition for the highest achievement or a validation of greatness.

These are the honours that any soccer player dreams about, the ones which separate legends from the ordinary.

If you ever thought of what it might take to be crowned the finest in the world or which milestones come with the most pomp and funfair, you are in the right place.

We are going to talk about those ten most revered soccer awards, that single one in which history, excellence, and glory all intersect.

1. Ballon d’Or

This is the ultimate emblem of excellence where football is concerned.

It is that one award that every player in the game strives to win, and deservedly so. Since its inception in 1956, the Ballon d’Or has been that benchmark of greatness, recognizing the finest in the beautiful game.

While the criteria have changed over time, the prestige has remained the same. Today, it is a global award, with journalists, captains, and coaches voting, hence truly recognizable as a sign of dominance on the part of a player at the world level.

Some legends have put a personal stamp on the Ballon d’Or: Lionel Messi, with a record eight wins, and Cristiano Ronaldo, his longtime rival, with five. The latest win by Messi in 2023 surprised no one, further cementing his place among the greatest footballers ever.

The Ballon d’Or is a pointer to something more than an award; it testifies to hard work, pure brilliance, and dedication on the pitch.

2. World Player of the Year (FIFA BEST)

This is an award par excellence that has been highlighting the best footballers across the world since way back in 1991.

It used to be the single recognition of greatness until 2010, after which it was combined with Ballon d’Or to achieve a powerful fusion. In 2016, FIFA revived it as “The Best FIFA Men’s Player,” and since then, that has been the celebration of soccer players.

Legends who have lifted this trophy—Zidane and Ronaldo Nazário, each three-time winners, etched forever in the beautiful game. It is not just given to talents like these; it goes out to those who make a difference in the game.

3. FIFA World Cup Golden Ball

Since 1982, it has been handed to the player who has left a solid print in the World Cup, through superior skill and unwavering dedication to inspire his team toward greatness.

Quite often, but not every time, the Golden Ball went to players of the team that comes second. There were exceptions, though, like incomparable Romário, who beamed in 1994.

Then there is Lionel Messi, who made history for winning not once but twice the Golden Ball. The first time was in 2014. The second was in 2022 after he led Argentina to victory in the Cup.

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4. UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award

Since 2011, the UEFA Best Player in Europe award has been the ultimate recognition of excellence for footballers who dominate the European club scene.

Unlike the Ballon d’Or, which looks at performances over the whole calendar year, this award focuses on how well a player does over the course of a single season.

Cristiano Ronaldo stands tall with three, but the newest sensation is Erling Haaland, who took home the award in 2023 after a jaw-dropping season with Manchester City.

The Norwegian phenom became the first player to win the top scorer in both Premier League and UEFA Champions League—an achievement that put fans and critics alike on their feet.

5. European Golden Shoe

The ultimate prize for the continent’s most prolific goal-scorers.

Since 1968, it has been awarded annually to the player topping the charts with a clever point system that levels the playing field across Europe’s top leagues.

The award has been dominated by Lionel Messi with a record six wins and Cristiano Ronaldo with four, setting the bar incredibly high.

In the last decade, however, goalscorers have made way for a new generation, with Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland the worthy successors among the all-time greats.

This award is an indication to the art of goal-scoring and befitting talent that makes European football so unforgettable.

6. Golden Boy Award

Since this award was founded in 2003, it is undoubtedly the yardstick for any young footballer throughout Europe.

Awarded by the publication Tuttosport, this prestigious award highlights the most talented players in Europe under the age of 21, as voted on by panel from the countries in which Tuttosport is circulated.

Some list of past winners, though! Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland—all were named Golden Boy, and look where they are now.

Jude Bellingham joins those on the list, pocketing the 2023 award thanks to those dazzling displays with Real Madrid.

But the Golden Boy isn’t given out because a player is exceptionally talented—that’s just a sign of things to come.

7. CAF Player of the Year

The CAF Player of the Year is the epitome of greatness among awards conferred upon African footballers.

Through more than three decades, it has served as a standard of excellence in honoring the finest talents the continent possesses by virtue of fantastic performances on the pitch.

African legends that have won this award—Samuel Eto’o and Yaya Touré, four-time winners.

They set the bar rather high.

Next in the line of stars is a new star, Victor Osimhen from Nigeria: African Footballer of the Year for 2023.

To a lot of people, it means so much more than just a trophy; it celebrates that passion, that skill, and dedication that make African football truly great.

8. FIFA Puskás Award

A celebration of the most breathtaking goals in football.

The player with the most eye-popping, mouth-opening goal will take this award to be given in the name of Ferenc Puskás, a legendary player.

It is since 2009 that it has remained the place to signify different creative and skillful instances in the beautiful game.

That makes it special because no player has ever won it twice; each goal is a different masterpiece.

And the 2023 winner? It was Guilherme Madruga, a Brazilian midfielder whose bicycle kick shocked fans and ordained his place in the history of football.

Sometimes this award reminds us that the goals may not always be the same; sometimes it is an art.

9. The Best FIFA Football Coach

This could be regarded as the highest award or honor any football manager could receive.

Since 2016, this excellent recognition has served to showcase to the world the best coach in the world who managed to head his team to greatness within the past year.

It was issued to Jürgen Klopp of Liverpool twice before shifting the attention to Pep Guardiola, a tactical genius behind Manchester City’s charge to an unprecedented treble in 2023.

By his inventiveness and the ability to let players perform at their very best, Guardiola must have redefined football management.

10. FIFA World Cup Golden Glove

The Golden Glove award is the ultimate token for the World Cup’s greatest goalkeepers—the unsung guardians of the net who make all the difference between dreams and disappointment.

From 1994, this has been the highest award spotlighting shot-stoppers who rose to great tasks, making impossible saves to redefine the boundaries of their art.

From Oliver Kahn’s historic double in 2002 to Emiliano Martinez again playing hero in 2022, this trophy has followed in the footsteps of the bold and magnificent.

It is the triumph of men standing tall between the posts with their gloves as emblems of never backing down in the beautiful game.