Fifa Best Awards LIVE: Latest updates and results as Lionel Messi and Aitana Bonmati scoop main awards
Argentine Lionel Messi retained the Fifa men's player of the year trophy on Monday, beating Manchester City's treble-winning Norwegian striker Erling Haaland and France's Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe to the award.
Spain's 2023 World Cup winner Aitana Bonmati was voted the best women's player of the year.
Messi, who also secured the men's award in 2022 after guiding Argentina to World Cup victory, clinched the Ligue 1 title with PSG alongside Mbappe following that success, before moving to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami.
The 36-year-old, voted the best player by national teams coaches, captains, journalists and fans, helped Inter Miami win the 2023 Leagues Cup -- a competition between MLS and Mexico's Liga MX sides -- scoring 10 goals.
Messi was not present to collect the trophy.
The award period for the men's prize ran from Dec. 19, 2022 to Aug. 20, 2023, and started the day after the World Cup final in Qatar. Haaland, who helped City clinch a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles by scoring 52 goals in 53 matches across all competitions in the 2022-23 season, finished second in the voting. The 23-year-old had the same points as Messi but lost out by having fewer first-place votes from national team captains.
City's Pep Guardiola won the Best Men's Coach award. The Spaniard, who before winning the treble with City last term had achieved the same feat at Barcelona in 2008-09, dedicated his award to fellow nominees Simone Inzaghi and Luciano Spalletti.
Sarina Wiegman claimed the Best Women's coach prize after leading England to the World Cup final where they lost 1-0 to Spain. Seven of her Lionesses were included in the Women's World XI, including Mary Earps, who also took the Best Women's Goalkeeper Award. (Reporting by Reuters)
Relive all the action from London and the reaction to the awards below:
Best of Fifa Football Awards in London
Best of Fifa Awards is in London
The awards ceremony starts at 7.30pm GMT
Pep Guardiola wins the Best Men’s Coach award
Sarina Wiegman wins Women’s Best Coach award
Mary Earps wins the Women’s Goalkeeper Award
Ederson wins the Men’s Goalkeeper Award
Guilherme Madruga wins the Puskas Award
Lionel Messi scoops up Best Men’s Player award
Aitana Bonmati wins the Best Women’s Player award
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 21:40 , Sonia Twigg
Here is the full report from the awards:
Messi has been named Fifa’s best men’s player after moving from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami and leading the David Beckham-owned team to a little-known Leagues Cup title — all while single-handedly elevating soccer’s relevance in the United States.
The 36-year-old Argentina star on Monday was selected over Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland — the same pair he beat for his eighth Ballon d’Or award last October.
Messi wins big at Fifa best awards, with Earps and Wiegman also recognised
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 21:20 , Sonia Twigg
Here are some photos of the event:
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 21:13 , Sonia Twigg
That’s all from the awards, we will be bringing you some more photos and any other information as it comes through.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 21:11 , Sonia Twigg
“A couple of weeks ago when 2023 came to an end I was nostalgic because it’s been an exceptional and unique year, starting out 2024 collecting this award is something that I am very proud of but I owe this to the teams that I have played with. I owe it to the great season that we played.
Bonmati thanks her teammates, her family and friends and signs off with: “I’m proud of being a group and a generation of women who are changing the world and the game.”
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 21:08 , Sonia Twigg
And the winner is...Aitana Bonmati!
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 21:07 , Sonia Twigg
Now time for the final award of the night, the Best Women’s Player, and the three shortlisted players are Aitana Bonmati, Linda Caicedo, and Jenni Hermoso
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 21:05 , Sonia Twigg
Starting from next year there will be a new Marta award to recognise the best goal scored in the women’s game in recognition of her contribution to the sportr.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 21:00 , Sonia Twigg
Marta will win an award presented by the winner of the first women’s World Cup and the late Pele’s wife for her services to the sport.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:55 , Sonia Twigg
Before the big women’s award there is time to look back at the amazing career of Marta, who retired this year.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:55 , Sonia Twigg
In the absence of Lionel Messi Thierry Henry scoops up the award and cannot resist a dig at Tottenham fan Chowdhury for never getting their hands on a trophy.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:53 , Sonia Twigg
And the winner is...Lionel Messi
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:51 , Sonia Twigg
First up is the men’s award and the three finalists are Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:48 , Sonia Twigg
Now there’s a musical interlude and afterwards we have just two awards left, the Best Men’s and Best Women’s player awards.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:48 , Sonia Twigg
Here are some photos of the awards so far:
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:43 , Sonia Twigg
And the winner Hugo Daniel Iniguez, a fan of Argentine club Colon, who was caught on camera bottle-feeding his young son, who he has brought with him to the ceremony and is even carrying him onto the stage draped in his team’s flag.
What a sweet moment, as the young child bursts into tears.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:42 , Sonia Twigg
Time for the Fifa fan award, the first is a Columbian meeting the team while battling a terminal illness, the second is an Australian woman who dribbled a football over 1,000km to raise money, and the third is an Argentinian fan was shown bottle-feeding his son while taking him to a match.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:36 , Sonia Twigg
The winner is going to be presented by the great grand-daughter of Puskas, and it is...Guilherme Madruga
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:34 , Sonia Twigg
There were 11 nominated goals including volleys from outside the area, individual moments of skill, backheels and stunning overhead kicks.
Here’s a reminder of the final three:
Julio Enciso has been nominated for his goal against Manchester City during a 1-1 draw between the current European champions and Brighton. He let the ball fly from 25 yards straight into the top corner and was his first at home for the Seagulls.
Guilherme Madruga scored for Botafogo against Novorizontino in the Brazilian Serie B. It was an absolutely stunning overhead kick from outside the area which perfectly looped and dipped into the back of the net just under the crossbar.
Nunos Santos is shortlisted for his goal for Sporting against Boavista. It was a clever improvised backheel-rabong that caught everyone by surprise as it flew into the back of the net.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:31 , Sonia Twigg
Time for the Puskas award, and there are some crackers in this...
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:30 , Sonia Twigg
Now we are hearing from moving tributes from those who knew the three legends of the game who were remembered in a moving video montage.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:24 , Sonia Twigg
Time to pay our respects to three members of the footballing family who are no longer with us.
Sir Bobby Charlton, Franz Beckenbauer and Mario Zagallo.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:20 , Sonia Twigg
And the winners are Brazil’s senior men’s players, that was a heartwarming moment in the middle of the ceremony, and all seemed to be worthy winners.
Cafu, Ronaldo, Julio Cesar and Cafu are among those in attendance to go onto the stage and receive the award.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:19 , Sonia Twigg
Now moving on to the Fifa Fair Play Award, the winner has been chosen by former professional footballers.
The nominations are: Brazil’s senior men’s players for their all-black kit against Guinea following the racist abuse aimed against Vinicius Junior, Montevideo city under-16s who scored a goal without realising two players were down with head injuries but then allowed their opponents to equalise, Pol Van Boekel when not showing Mohammed Kudus a yellow card for removing his shirt to display a tribute to his former teammate Christian Atsu.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:14 , Sonia Twigg
And the winner is...Ederson
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:13 , Sonia Twigg
And now on to the men’s goalkeeper award which is between Ederson, Thibaut Courtois and Yassine Bounou.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:12 , Sonia Twigg
It has been an incredible year for Earps, from the shirt fiasco with Nike to winning Sports Personality of the Year and now this award at the Fifa Best of Football Awards.
Earps goes on a slightly different note with her speech, saying: “Thank you very much. To be honest last year I won the award but I didn’t get team of the year. I want to say thank you to my teammates I feel incredibly privileged to be able to be on a pitch with you and learn from you.
“Thank you to all my coaches at England and United, I’m just blown away. I think I talk about that it’s not been the easiest journey to get here, some would say I took the scenic route and I had to wait a long time for this kind of success but looking back now it makes sense what I went through.
“It made me so much more prepared for the challenges I face and to never take a single day for granted. It’s never to late to be exactly who you are.”
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:09 , Sonia Twigg
And the winner is...Mary Earps
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:08 , Sonia Twigg
Just a reminder that the nominations are Mackenzie Arnold from Australia, Spain’s Catalina Coll, and England’s Mary Earps.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:07 , Sonia Twigg
The coaches have already been announced, as have the World XI’s and now it’s time for the goalkeepers.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 20:01 , Sonia Twigg
The Fifa Fifpro women’s world XI:
Mary Earps
Olga Carmona
Lucy Bronze
Alex Greenwood
Keira Walsh
Alessia Russo
Lauren James
Ella Toone
Aitana Bonmati
Alex Morgan
Sam Kerr
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:57 , Sonia Twigg
Wiegman said: “Wow. Some of you think ‘there she is again’ I am so sorry about that. I feel very humble and privileged that I am here again.
“Thank you to the FA for their support and all our staff and to all our players they did so well. Lots of things were thrown in front of us and we did so well.”
She thanks her family and makes a nod to the other coaches in the shortlist.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:55 , Sonia Twigg
And the winner is...Sarina Wiegman.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:53 , Sonia Twigg
Time for the best women’s coach award and a reminder that England manager Sarina Wiegman and Chelsea manager Emma Hayes are up for this one alongside Barcelona’s Jonatan Giraldez.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:52 , Sonia Twigg
Guardiola has just been asked whether his all-conquering Man City side would beat his treble-winning Barcelona side and he is stumped for an answer, replying only with “it should be a good game”.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:47 , Sonia Twigg
The FIFA Fifpro men’s world XI:
Thibaut Courtois
John Stones
Kyle Walker
Ruben Dias
Bernardo Silva
Jude Bellingham
Kevin de Bruyne
Erling Haaland
Kylian Mbappe
Lionel Messi
Vinicius Junior
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:45 , Sonia Twigg
Now it’s time for the world XI to be announced...
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:43 , Sonia Twigg
Guardiola said in his speech: “Thank you so much, I want to share this award with Simone Inzaghi and Luciano Spalletti. And I want to share the award and this moment with Manchester City and our owners.
“On behalf of my backroom staff and myself I want to say thank you to our players for what they have done for this club for many many years so without exception thank you for this journey.
“It has been an honour every morning to go there. Thank you for my dad who is here 92 years old, I am so happy he is here.”
Guardiola followed it up with thanks to the rest of his family and wife and kids.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:40 , Sonia Twigg
And the winner is...Guardiola!
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:40 , Sonia Twigg
We will start with the best men’s coaches award which is between Pep Guardiola, Simone Inzaghi and Luciano Spalletti...
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:37 , Sonia Twigg
Time for a voting explainer, every national team captain and coach was invited to vote along with media and football fans around the world.
Each group counts for 25 percent of the vote, and if they cannot be separated then the captains’ vote will be the decider.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:35 , Sonia Twigg
Time for the first (of probably many) video montages of the evening with a co-ordinated dance and a look back at the tournament held in Australia and New Zealand.
It was a memorable event last summer, with Spain beating England in the final, while the Matildas’ journey to semi-finals captured the attention of the host nation.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:34 , Sonia Twigg
Theirry Henry and Reshmin Chowdhury are hosting the event and we will start with a look back at the Fifa Women’s World Cup in 2023.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:31 , Sonia Twigg
The Best of Fifa awards 2024 will begin soon
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:25 , Sonia Twigg
Most of the biggest names in football are in London tonight at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith for the Fifa Best of Football Awards and we will keep you updated with all the news and updates when the ceremony starts in just five minutes.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:21 , Sonia Twigg
Here are some more photos as we near the start of the event itself:
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:17 , Sonia Twigg
Here is a look at some of the people arriving on the appropriate green carpet to the event:
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:15 , Sonia Twigg
The award ceremony starts in just 15 minutes...
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:12 , Sonia Twigg
Men’s and women’s goalkeeper awards:
Brazil and Manchester City shot-stopper Ederson goes up against Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and former Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
In the women’s shortlist, women’s World Cup golden glove and sport’s personality of the year winner Mary Earps is up against Catalina Coll from Spain and Australia’s Mackenzie Arnold.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 19:05 , Sonia Twigg
Who is nominated for Women’s coach of the year?
There are two English interests here with both Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman up for the main award.
Wiegman won it last year , and also took England to the World Cup final in the time period considered. While Hayes took Chelsea to the FA Cup and Women’s Super League double, and is due to move on from her current role to move to the United States’ Women’s team head coach at the end of the current season.
Jonatan Giraldez is the third name on the list, having led Barcelona to the Champions League and Spanish title during a dominant campaign.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 18:55 , Sonia Twigg
Who is nominated for men’s coach of the year?
Pep Guardiola for taking Manchester City to the treble, and then their Fifa Club World Cup maiden victory.
Inzaghi was nominated following Inter’s Coppa Italia win and they finished as Champions League runners-up to Manchester City.
Spalletti equalled a league record when Napoli won their first Serie A title in 33 years with five games to spare and moved on to manage the Italy national team.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 18:45 , Sonia Twigg
Who is nominated for the Puskas award?
The award is named after Hungarian striker Ferenc Puskas and celebrates the most spectacular goal across men’s and women’s football.
A total of 11 goals were initially nominated and three finalists have been chosen by fans.
Julio Enciso has been nominated for his goal against Manchester City during a 1-1 draw between the current European champions and Brighton. He let the ball fly from 25 yards straight into the top corner and was his first at home for the Seagulls.
Guilherme Madruga scored for Botafogo against Novorizontino in the Brazilian Serie B. It was an absolutely stunning overhead kick from outside the area which perfectly looped and dipped into the back of the net just under the crossbar.
Nunos Santos is shortlisted for his goal for Sporting against Boavista. It was a clever improvised backheel-rabong that caught everyone by surprise as it flew into the back of the net.
All the goals can be watched here on the Fifa website.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 18:30 , Sonia Twigg
Best Women’s player - the three finalists:
Aitana Bonmati was a part of Spain’s successful women’s World Cup side, and like Messi, has already won the Ballon d’Or. On the domestic front she played a key part of Barcelona’s Women’s Champions League and title-winning campaigns.
Linda Caicedo rose to prominence over the last year before scoring the goal of the tournament during Columbia’s win over Germany in the 2023 World Cup.
Jenni Hermoso was also part of Spain’s World Cup squad. However, in the final she was in the headlines for Luis Rubiales’ unwanted kiss as much as the on-field exploits. During the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, Hermoso scored three goals and also recorded two assists.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 18:00 , Sonia Twigg
Men’s player - a closer look at the three finalists:
The previous winner and current Ballon d’Or holder Lioness Messi will go up against the next generation in Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
Since the World Cup, Messi scored nine goals as PSG stormed to the French title, and 10 goals in just seven matches as Inter Miami went on to win the Leagues Cup, a competition including clubs from the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Haaland took the Premier League by storm, netting a record 36 goals last season, and scoring 28 goals in all competitions after the World Cup as part of 52 in a single season.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 17:45 , Sonia Twigg
How are the awards chosen?
The men’s awards will be judged from 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023, starting after the Qatar World Cup after that was in last year’s ceremony.
The women’s awards are based on performances between 1 August 2022 and 20 August 2023.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 17:30 , Sonia Twigg
How can one watch the awards?
The ceremony will be available to stream for free live on the Fifa website and through Fifa+.
The ceremony will also be shown live on BBC iPlayer and online from 7.30 pm GMT.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 17:15 , Sonia Twigg
What are the awards?
The Best Awards are Fifa’s equivalent of the Ballon d’Or.
The award categories are:
Best Men’s Player
Best Women’s Player
Best Men’s Coach
Best Women’s Coach
Best Men’s Goalkeeper
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Puskas Award
There are also awards for a fan and fair play and a men’s and women’s world XI will be named.
Fifa best awards
Monday 15 January 2024 14:56 , Sonia Twigg
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of all the action from the Best of Fifa Football Awards in London.
