That's your lot!
Tonight’s winners in full:
Men’s player: Robert Lewandowski
Women’s player: Lucy Bronze
Men’s goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer
Women’s goalkeeper: Sarah Bouhaddi
Men’s coach: Jurgen Klopp
Women’s coach: Sarina Wiegman
Puskas (goal) award: Son Heung-min
Overall I think this is a very reasonable set of awards. Thanks a lot for joining me this evening, and for all your comments, and hope to see you all again soon!
Lewandowski had never even been a finalist here before so it’s great that he has won this time at the age of 32. He really does get better and better.
That was all a little bizarre but it just about worked out. Lewandowski is nattering to Infantino in German, presumably somewhere in or around Munich. He has scored 45 goals in this disrupted calendar year, for the world’s best team, so it wasn’t really a contest.
Robert Lewandowski is the best men's player!
Thank goodness for that!!
Infantino is back on telly, without green screen but with trophy. He has some audio issues but is presenting the trophy in person to ...
Ronaldo won in 2016 and 2017, Messi took the gong last year (Luka Modric won in 2018 – there have only been four editions of the Best). What about this time?
Messi, Ronaldo or Lewandowski? We are about to find out ...
@NickAmes82
— krish (@vkmagus) December 17, 2020
Bronze wins Gold!!!
Couldn't resist it
😊
There we go!
“Fifa XI chosen by fellow pros. Individual awards are mixture of fans, journalists and captains and coaches of national teams, I believe,” PaulSutc reminds me.
Bronze speaks from Manchester: “What a surprise to be even nominated alongside two players of that stature! To have won it ... I don’t really have the words right now to explain how I’m feeling. But if there’s anything 2020 has taught us it’s to appreciate every moment we’ve got. So winning it this year I appreciate it more than ever and I will remember it from the rest of my life.”
Bronze, who traded Lyon for Man City earlier in the year, came third last time out.
Lucy Bronze is the best women's player!
The England star has won it!
Ok, we are about to learn about the best women’s player! Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura will dish this one out ...
It’s time for the Rossi tribute now, so read this one from Nicky Bandini:
Rapinoe seems right to me. I wonder if it’s down to a cross between the inadequate exposure for women’s football below a famous few and the general laziness that surrounds such endeavours as this.
Very interesting response from Rapinoe to her World XI selection ...
So much to be thankful for this year, and so much work still to be done. 🙏❤️ https://t.co/LtwTv8S0Jv pic.twitter.com/Kz8LettjXI
— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) December 17, 2020
The Maradona tributes, including a heartfelt speech from Ciro Ferrara, are still going on but my Italian GCSE is rusting badly. More for you in the meantime – the MBM of Sheffield United v Manchester United. Actual real live football! The big award winners coming up here shortly ...
@NickAmes82 does it seem weird that the winner of best goalkeeper doesn't make the team of the season as the goalkeeper?
— Gerry #CUNYstrikeready Martini (@Gerry_Martini) December 17, 2020
I did think it was odd not to see Bouhaddi in there, much as Endler is incredibly good.
Edit – just realised that’s happened with Neuer/Alisson too. Oh well ... a cake for everyone!
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I think we are approaching the business end now ... but firstly we pay tribute to Maradona with a musical montage. If you can’t see that, then read this:
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Wenger is asked about the men’s team: “When you are a little child you dream to be the best player in the world in your position and that’s an unbelievable achievement. Look at the front line ... my friends, you made me suffer a lot, you all scored goals against my team!”
Sergio Ramos is currently talking in Spanish. He has gone to the trouble of wearing a very nice jacket and tie on his Zoom call. Hopefully he has trousers on too! He sounds honoured to be in the best XI, and all the usual.
The best men's XI is named
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Ramos, Davies; Kimmich, De Bruyne, Alcantara; Messi, Lewandowski, Ronaldo.
I’d ditch one of Messi and Ronaldo, maybe sticking Mane in there. Otherwise ... happy?
The best women's XI is named
It is thus:
Endler; Bronze, Renard, Bright; Heath, Boquete, Bonansea, Rapinoe; Cascarino, Miedema, Harder.
You agree?
We now meet Canadian goal machine Christine Sinclair – the all-time highest international goalscorer (with 186) in men’s or women’s football! “As it got closer it was everything people wanted to talk about, it was nice to get it out of the way and amazing to be able to celebrate with my teammates and have friends and family in the stand while we still could.”
Scoring a last-minute winner in the opening game of the 2015 World Cup on home turf is her best memory.
The recipient of the Fifa fan award is having problems with his sound, but he looks absolutely beside himself with emotion. The picture, as the presenters stress while styling it out, says it all.
As we speak there is a Premier League game going on. It’s half-time at Aston Villa 0-0 Burnley.
Now we hear from the winner of this year’s fair play award, the Italian ASD Ospedaletti’s 17-year-old Mattia Agnese, who helped an opponent who lost consciousness during a game. He’s on the screen with several (facemasked) family members. It must be a very proud moment for them.
“Tell me Jurgen,” demands Arsene. “Do empty stadiums make the games less predictable?”
“I still can’t really explain it, we didn’t struggle too much at home, people may have thought that the atmosphere would make the difference for us but the boys did well and maybe we were working with our long-term memory. The situation is the most difficult I have ever experienced. It’s just so intense.”
He’s still talking. The great thing about Klopp is that he really gives you value in situations like this. He answers like he’s actually giving you an answer. Not many do.
Klopp retains the trophy he won last year, by the way. Both him and Wenger pay tribute to the sadly departed Gerard Houllier, again with well-chosen words, before he signs off.
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Jurgen Klopp is the best men's coach!
That’s nice. He’s chattering away remotely and pans his camera towards a waving Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is for some reason in the room with him. “Thank you very much, wow!” he says. Now he thanks a lot of people.
Here comes the men’s coach award. Got your translator to hand, Marcelo?
YouTube is another world, isn’t it. While this all goes on, screened live on the Fifa channel, the comments on the side are a dizzying torrent of “CR7!!!!”, “Messi!!!!!”.
Wenger asks who inspired Wiegman: “You inspired me too. A lot of coaches inspired me.” She also mentions Andries Jonker, who once headed up Arsenal’s academy.
Sarina Wiegman is the best women's coach
The Netherlands and future England coach – who takes over next year – is the winner of this one!
Arsène Wenger is on stage! He’s actually there, physically. He is Fifa’s chief of global development, remember, and looking very well indeed.
“I have more of an educational responsibility now and that’s a massive challenge as well,” he says.
But, asks Gullit, what does it take to be a world-class coach (should have asked that 20 years ago Ruud, etc and so forth)? “You need expertise, you need more than ever to be a good communicator, and as well to have a good resistance to stress.”
Son Heung-min wins the Puskas Award!
He takes it for that jet-heeled sprint and finish against Burnley! “I received the ball in my own box and it was the best option to pass but I couldn’t find anybody so I tried to dribble,” he chuckles. He’s not blaming his teammates!
We’re onto the Puskas award now. Who scored the most beautiful goal? Good to see Son’s goal on the list but I’m more of a Jordan Ayew man ...
Manuel Neuer is the best men's goalkeeper!
Yes he is. Was it his best year for Bayern? “It’s one of the best years of my career, we are so confident in what we’ve done and especially in the summer it was amazing for all of us and we are very happy,” he Zooms.
“Frankly speaking Messi and Ronaldo should refuse their nominations in this category,” writes Krishnamoorthy. “They have nothing left to prove and nominations can act as an incentive to other notable players. But ego seems to be default middle name for these players.”
I think that is harsh. They have been consistently brilliant for years. And very good this year too. But I wouldn’t have them as the other two in my top three either.
The best manager? Easy, a Norwegian manager. The one who won the league in Norway. Google it. But of course this is a popularity contest.
— Khun Kai (@MrKhunKai) December 17, 2020
(He means Kjetil Knutsen of Bodo/Glimt) This is not wrong at all, either. What an achievement that was. It does feel like a gala for all the good looking kids, this.
Sarah Bouhaddi is the best women's goalkeeper!
The Lyon legend takes it! Great recognition for the 34-year-old after such a stellar career at the top.
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Pascal Zuberbuhler, a veteran of Swiss World Cup sides that probably went out at the second round stage on penalties after a goalless draw, is going to help out on stage with the goalkeepers’ award first of all. Maybe present-day regulations mean all the glamorous assistants have to be sourced locally – in which case I’ll request Alain Sutter to reveal the winner of the top gong.
Rashford wins the Fifa Foundation award – very richly deserved indeed.
We are hearing, too, from a bona die football Best of 2020 – Marcus Rashford. He’d be in my top three, look what a year we’ve had and look what he’s managed to do on and away from the pitch. Tonight he plays for Manchester United against Sheffield United.
Now Gianni Infantino, seemingly in front of a green screen, is slightly spectrally addressing us from ... somewhere that isn’t Fifa HQ. It looks a little bit like he’s on Knightmare. It’s a noble speech, thanking front-line workers for the efforts during the pandemic that have been so profoundly appreciated by us all, and now averring that football has “restarted again with hopes and smiles for millions of people”.
I wasn’t smiling at Craven Cottage last night but they are fine words. Infantino also offers condolences to the loved ones of Diego Maradona and Paolo Rossi, two heartbreakingly sad recent losses to the sport.
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Who are the presenters? Reshmin Chowdhury is one ... and she’s alongside Ruud Gullit!
Anyway, we’re – they’re – underway in Zurich! Behind the presenters is a huge, tessellated Zoom wall of fans.
@NickAmes82 hey nick...Robert Lewandowski was 2020s best player, Bayern & Hansi Flick deserves best team, manager
— Botsalo Pman (@botsalo_p) December 17, 2020
This is all true.
“It’s good he’s on,” writes Tim Stappard of Bielsa. “Why not add a bit of joy to an uninspired list. Ronaldo and Messi should definitely not be there.”
These are fair points. Let’s be honest, cards on the table, no holds barred, tell it as it is: these lists are usually grindingly predictable so a curveball is always appreciated. If Lewandowski – definitely not a curveball by the way – doesn’t win the men’s one I’ll lose what little faith I had left.
No Rapinoe on this year’s women’s player list, so there will be a new holder. Lucy Bronze came third last year; Wendie Renard is a newbie and Pernille Harder, who is surely favourite, has already been anointed on these pages:
Is that ... is that Marcelo Bielsa in the top three men’s coaches? Yes, yes it is, and it’s drawn a fair bit of comment since the finalists – and indeed the initial shortlists – were announced. It’s a strange one. Great to see he’s doing it with Leeds and they’re going well, playing some cracking stuff when it all walks out. But one of the world’s top three right now? It feels, on Fifa’s part, just a little bit like someone’s mid-life-crisis uncle trying to be cool.
Tonight's finalists
Have a look at this little lot ...
Men’s player: Cristiano Ronaldo / Robert Lewandowski / Lionel Messi
Women’s player: Lucy Bronze / Pernille Harder / Wendie Renard
Men’s goalkeeper: Alisson / Manuel Neuer / Jan Oblak
Women’s goalkeeper: Sarah Bouhaddi / Christiane Endler / Alyssa Naeher
Men’s coach: Marcelo Bielsa / Hansi Flick / Jurgen Klopp
Women’s coach: Sarina Wiegman / Emma Hayes / Jean-Luc Vassseur
Puskas (goal) award: Luis Suarez / Son Heung-min / Giorgian de Arrascaeta
We’ll flesh some of these out as we go.
Hello
Welcome to our virtual coverage of Fifa’s virtual “The Best” ceremony. Look, we’re all stuck at home right now. And besides: it’s been such a topsy-turvy year in football, never mind the world at large, that it might be anyone’s guess who the best men’s and women’s players this year actually are.
Lionel Messi won last time in the men’s half; for the women, Megan Rapinoe is reigning champion. Who would you like to replace them this year ... or would you stick?
Ceremony patter-by-patter coming up. In the meantime, send me your footballing highlights of 2020 – or just your best player, team, manager and anything else you can think of.
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