# The Best FIFA Football Awards 2021

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2021 were held on 17 January 2022. The ceremony was held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

## Winners and nominees
### The Best FIFA Men's Player

Eleven players were initially shortlisted on 22 November 2021. The three finalists were revealed on 7 January 2022.
Robert Lewandowski won the award with 48 rank points, his second consecutive win.
The selection criteria for the men's players of the year was: respective achievements during the period from 8 October 2020 to 7 August 2021.
| Rank | Player | Club(s) played for | National team | Points |
| The finalists |||||
| 1 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Poland | 48 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona Paris Saint-Germain | Argentina | 44 |
| 3 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Egypt | 39 |
| Other candidates |||||
| 4 | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | France | 30 |
| 5 | N'Golo Kanté | Chelsea | France | 24 |
| 6 | Jorginho | Chelsea | Italy | 24 |
| 7 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus Manchester United | Portugal | 23 |
| 8 | Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain | France | 16 |
| 9 | Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | Belgium | 11 |
| 10 | Neymar | Paris Saint-Germain | Brazil | 10 |
| 11 | Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund | Norway | 7 |

### The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper

Five players were initially shortlisted on 22 November 2021. The three finalists were revealed on 5 January 2022.
Édouard Mendy won the award with 24 rank points.
| Rank | Player | Club(s) played for | National team | Points |
| The finalists |||||
| 1 | Édouard Mendy | Chelsea | Senegal | 24 |
| 2 | Gianluigi Donnarumma | Milan Paris Saint-Germain | Italy | 24 |
| 3 | Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | Germany | 12 |
| Other candidates |||||
| 4 | Alisson | Liverpool | Brazil | 8 |
| 5 | Kasper Schmeichel | Leicester City | Denmark | 4 |

### The Best FIFA Men's Coach

Seven coaches were initially shortlisted on 22 November 2021. The three finalists were revealed on 6 January 2022.
Thomas Tuchel won the award with 28 rank points.
| Rank | Coach | Team(s) managed | Points |
| The finalists ||||
| 1 | Thomas Tuchel | Chelsea | 28 |
| 2 | Roberto Mancini | Italy | 15 |
| 3 | Pep Guardiola | Manchester City | 14 |
| Other candidates ||||
| 4 | Lionel Scaloni | Argentina | 7 |
| 5 | Hansi Flick | Bayern Munich Germany | 6 |
| 6 | Diego Simeone | Atlético Madrid | 1 |
| 7 | Antonio Conte | Inter Milan Tottenham Hotspur | 1 |

### The Best FIFA Women's Player

Thirteen players were initially shortlisted on 22 November 2021. The three finalists were revealed on 7 January 2022.
Alexia Putellas won the award with 52 rank points.
The selection criteria for the women's players of the year was: respective achievements during the period from 8 October 2020 to 6 August 2021.
| Rank | Player | Club(s) played for | National team | Points |
| The finalists |||||
| 1 | Alexia Putellas | Barcelona | Spain | 52 |
| 2 | Sam Kerr | Chelsea | Australia | 38 |
| 3 | Jennifer Hermoso | Barcelona | Spain | 33 |
| Other candidates |||||
| 4 | Vivianne Miedema | Arsenal | Netherlands | 30 |
| 5 | Christine Sinclair | Portland Thorns | Canada | 28 |
| 6 | Aitana Bonmatí | Barcelona | Spain | 26 |
| 7 | Lucy Bronze | Manchester City | England | 16 |
| 8 | Magdalena Eriksson | Chelsea | Sweden | 15 |
| 9 | Caroline Graham Hansen | Barcelona | Norway | 12 |
| 10 | Pernille Harder | Chelsea | Denmark | 10 |
| 11 | Ellen White | Manchester City | England | 9 |
| 12 | Stina Blackstenius | BK Häcken Arsenal | Sweden | 5 |
| 13 | Ji So-yun | Chelsea | South Korea | 4 |

### The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper

Five players were initially shortlisted on 22 November 2021. The three finalists were revealed on 5 January 2022.
Christiane Endler won the award with 26 rank points.
| Rank | Player | Club(s) played for | National team | Points |
| The finalists |||||
| 1 | Christiane Endler | Paris Saint-Germain Lyon | Chile | 26 |
| 2 | Stephanie Labbé | FC Rosengård Paris Saint-Germain | Canada | 20 |
| 3 | Ann-Katrin Berger | Chelsea | Germany | 14 |
| Other candidates |||||
| 4 | Hedvig Lindahl | Atlético Madrid | Sweden | 7 |
| 5 | Alyssa Naeher | Chicago Red Stars | United States | 5 |

### The Best FIFA Women's Coach

Five coaches were initially shortlisted on 22 November 2021. The three finalists were revealed on 6 January 2022.
Emma Hayes won the award with 22 rank points.
| Rank | Coach | Team(s) managed | Points |
| The finalists ||||
| 1 | Emma Hayes | Chelsea | 22 |
| 2 | Lluís Cortés | Barcelona Ukraine | 19 |
| 3 | Sarina Wiegman | Netherlands England | 14 |
| Other candidates ||||
| 4 | Bev Priestman | Canada | 13 |
| 5 | Peter Gerhardsson | Sweden | 4 |

### FIFA Puskás Award

The eleven players initially shortlisted for the award were announced on 29 November 2021. The three finalists were revealed on 4 January 2022. All goals up for consideration were scored from 8 October 2020 to 7 August 2021. Every registered FIFA.com user was allowed to participate in the final vote until 17 December 2021, with the questionnaire being presented on the official website of FIFA. The selected goals were also voted on by a panel of ten "FIFA experts". Both groups' votes weighed equally on the ultimate winner of the award.
Erik Lamela won the award with 22 rank points.
| Rank | Player | Match | Competition | Date | Points |
| The finalists ||||||
| 1 | Erik Lamela | Arsenal – Tottenham Hotspur | 2020–21 Premier League | 14 March 2021 | 22 |
| 2 | Mehdi Taremi | Chelsea – Porto | 2020–21 UEFA Champions League | 13 April 2021 | 21 |
| 3 | Patrik Schick | Scotland – Czech Republic | UEFA Euro 2020 | 14 June 2021 | 21 |
| Other candidates ||||||
| Unranked | Luis Díaz | Brazil – Colombia | 2021 Copa América | 23 June 2021 | N/A |
| Unranked | Gauthier Hein | Niort – Auxerre | 2020–21 Ligue 2 | 10 April 2021 | N/A |
| Unranked | Valentino Lazaro | Bayer Leverkusen – Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2020–21 Bundesliga | 8 November 2020 | N/A |
| Unranked | Riyad Mahrez | Zimbabwe – Algeria | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | 16 November 2020 | N/A |
| Unranked | Sandra Owusu-Ansah | Kumasi Sports Academy Ladies – Supreme Ladies | 2020–21 Ghana Women's Premier League | 8 May 2021 | N/A |
| Unranked | Vangelis Pavlidis | Willem II – Fortuna Sittard | 2020–21 Eredivisie | 16 May 2021 | N/A |
| Unranked | Daniela Sánchez | Querétaro – Atlético San Luis | Liga MX Femenil Guardianes 2021 | 16 January 2021 | N/A |
| Unranked | Caroline Weir | Manchester City – Manchester United | 2020–21 FA WSL | 12 February 2021 | N/A |

### FIFA Fan Award

The award celebrates the best fan moments or gestures of October 2020 to August 2021, regardless of championship, gender or nationality. The shortlist was compiled by a panel of FIFA experts, and every registered FIFA.com user was allowed to participate in the final vote until 14 January 2022.
The three nominees were announced on 22 November 2021. Denmark and Finland fans won the award with over 100,000 registered votes.
| Rank | Fan(s) | Match | Competition | Date | Votes |
| 1 | Denmark and Finland fans | Denmark – Finland | UEFA Euro 2020 | 12 June 2021 | 107,565 |
| 2 | Imogen Papworth-Heidel | N/A | N/A | Various | 77,887 |
| 3 | German football fans | N/A | N/A | Various | 70,229 |

### FIFA Fair Play Award

| Winner | Team | Reason |
| Denmark national team/Danish medical team and staff | Denmark | Gave Christian Eriksen CPR, shielded him from cameras and comforted his family following his collapse during a Euro 2020 match |

### The Best FIFA Special Award

An additional award was given out to Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Canada's Christine Sinclair, to recognize them becoming the all-time leading international goalscorers in men and women's senior football, respectively.
| Winner | Team | Reason |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Broke the record of most international goals scored by a male footballer |
| Christine Sinclair | Canada | Broke the record of most international goals scored by a female footballer |

### FIFA FIFPRO Men's World 11

The 23–player men's shortlist was announced on 14 December 2021.
The players chosen were Gianluigi Donnarumma as goalkeeper, David Alaba, Leonardo Bonucci and Rúben Dias as defenders, Kevin De Bruyne, Jorginho and N'Golo Kanté as midfielders, and Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as forwards.
| Player | Club(s) |
| Goalkeeper ||
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | Milan Paris Saint-Germain |
| Defenders ||
| David Alaba | Bayern Munich Real Madrid |
| Leonardo Bonucci | Juventus |
| Rúben Dias | Manchester City |
| Midfielders ||
| Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City |
| Jorginho | Chelsea |
| N'Golo Kanté | Chelsea |
| Forwards ||
| Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund |
| Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona Paris Saint-Germain |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus Manchester United |

#### Other nominees

| Player | Club(s) |
| Goalkeepers ||
| Alisson | Liverpool |
| Édouard Mendy | Chelsea |
| Defenders ||
| Jordi Alba | Barcelona |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool |
| Dani Alves | São Paulo Barcelona |
| Midfielders ||
| Sergio Busquets | Barcelona |
| Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United |
| Frenkie de Jong | Barcelona |
| Forwards ||
| Karim Benzema | Real Madrid |
| Romelu Lukaku | Inter Milan Chelsea |
| Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Neymar | Paris Saint-Germain |

### FIFA FIFPRO Women's World 11

The 23–player women's shortlist was announced on 14 December 2021.
The players chosen were Christiane Endler as goalkeeper, Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Magdalena Eriksson and Wendie Renard as defenders, Estefanía Banini, Barbara Bonansea and Carli Lloyd as midfielders, and Marta, Vivianne Miedema and Alex Morgan as forwards.
| Player | Club(s) |
| Goalkeeper ||
| Christiane Endler | Paris Saint-Germain Lyon |
| Defenders ||
| Millie Bright | Chelsea |
| Lucy Bronze | Manchester City |
| Magdalena Eriksson | Chelsea |
| Wendie Renard | Lyon |
| Midfielders ||
| Estefanía Banini | Levante Atlético Madrid |
| Barbara Bonansea | Juventus |
| Carli Lloyd | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
| Forwards ||
| Marta | Orlando Pride |
| Vivianne Miedema | Arsenal |
| Alex Morgan | Tottenham Hotspur Orlando Pride San Diego Wave FC |

#### Other nominees

| Player | Club(s) |
| Goalkeepers ||
| Laura Benkarth | Bayern Munich |
| Ann-Katrin Berger | Chelsea |
| Defenders ||
| Kadeisha Buchanan | Lyon |
| Ellie Carpenter | Lyon |
| Irene Paredes | Paris Saint-Germain Barcelona |
| Midfielders ||
| Aitana Bonmatí | Barcelona |
| Delphine Cascarino | Lyon |
| Alexia Putellas | Barcelona |
| Forwards ||
| Pernille Harder | Chelsea |
| Sam Kerr | Chelsea |
| Gabrielle Onguéné | CSKA Moscow |
| Megan Rapinoe | OL Reign |

## Selection panels
### Men's selection panel

The panel of experts who shortlisted the nominees for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2021 for the men's players and coaches comprised:
* Ali Al-Habsi
* Jared Borgetti
* Tim Cahill
* Júlio César
* Geremi
* Jürgen Klinsmann
* Alexi Lalas
* Javier Mascherano
* Ryan Nelsen
* David Trezeguet

### Women's selection panel

The panel of experts who shortlisted the nominees for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2021 for the women's players and coaches comprised:
* Florence Adhiambo
* Margaret Aka
* Eniola Aluko
* Emma Byrne
* April Heinrichs
* Rosana
* Memunatu Sulemana
* Homare Sawa
* Marta Tejedor
* Chan Yuen Ting