The FIFA World Player of the Year is a football award given annually to the male and female player who is thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams. In a voting system based on a type of a Borda count, each coach gets three votes, worth five points, three points and one point, and the winners are ordered based on total number of points. The award started in 1991 for men and 2001 for women.

The award's youngest winner is Ronaldo, who won at the age of 20 in 1996. He won it again in 1997 and along with Ronaldinho is the only player to have won twice in a row. Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane are the only three-time winners.

In women's football, Mia Hamm and Birgit Prinz have both won twice in a row. Prinz the only one to have won three consecutively.

Nomination and Selection Process

Following criticism from some sections of the media over questionable nominations in previous years, in 2004 FIFA drew up a shortlist of 35 men and 21 women from which national team managers and, for the first time, team captains and representatives from FIFPro (the worldwide representative organization for professional players) could vote ^*.

Another criticism brought up against the nominations is that, in the men's award, no player in activity outside of Europe has ever been nominated for the award. Although players from several nationalities, of three continents, have been nominated and won the award, they were all playing for European clubs at the time of their nomination or victory. It has been suggested that players active even in the more prestigious Leagues in Latin America (such as the Argentine, the Brazilian or the Mexican Leagues), are generally overlooked for the award. Others have noted that because of the money involved almost all of the world's best players play in European leagues by the time they mature as players.

La Liga players have won the award 5 years running.

Winners

List of male winners

List of female winners

Football (soccer) awards | FIFA World Players of the Year

Fifa World Player | Weltfußballer des Jahres | Jugador Mundial de la FIFA | Urteko Munduko Futbolariaren Saria | Meilleur footballeur de l'année FIFA | FIFA 올해의 선수 | FIFA World Player Of The Year | כדורגלן השנה בעולם | Wereldvoetballer van het jaar | FIFA最優秀選手賞 | Piłkarz Roku FIFA | Melhor jogador do mundo pela FIFA | Игрок года ФИФА | FIFAn vuoden pelaaja | Världens bästa fotbollsspelare | Cầu thủ xuất sắc nhất năm của FIFA | 世界足球先生