Last night, the 13th edition of the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards honoured international football players and professionals from across the world for their talent and hard work over the last year, alongside legends who have been integral to the success of the game for many years.
Held in conjunction with the 17th edition of the Dubai International Sports Conference, hosted by the Dubai Sports Council, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Sergio Ramos took part in a discussion titled Road to Champions, ahead of the awards ceremony. The session was moderated by Becky Anderson, host of CNN’s award-winning Connect the World.
During three weeks of public voting, fans from across the world were invited to vote for their favourite stars. This year, a staggering 33 million votes were cast from 225 countries and territories – up from 15 million last year.
This year, the coveted Best Men’s Player of the Year went to French striker Karim Benzema for his outstanding performance with Real Madrid. Spanish midfielder Alexia Putellas was awarded Best Women’s Player of the Year, thanks to her pivotal role in Barcelona’s success last season.
TikTok fans once again voted in their millions, this year choosing Mohamed Salah as their TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year winner.
In a tough category with 20 nominees, retired striker Emilio Butragueno received the Best Men’s Club of the Year award on behalf of Real Madrid. And for the Best Women’s Club of the Year, Olympique Lyonnais Feminin beat nine other contenders to win.
A total of 22 awards were presented during the star-studded ceremony at the Madinat Jumeirah, with three of the sport’s biggest names honoured for their outstanding contribution in recent years and presented with Player Career Awards. The renowned Brazilian Romario, the first player to score at least 100 goals for three different clubs; England and Manchester United record goalscorer, Wayne Rooney and AC Milan’s striker, Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Another stalwart of the game, Spanish manager and former player, Unai Emery, received the Coach Career Award and Italian Adriano Galliani, received the Executive Career Award.
Real Madrid continued its run of success, bagging a total of six awards during the evening. Legendary coach Carlo Ancelotti received the Best Coach of the Year and Best President of the Year went to Florentino Pérez. Best Executive of the Year went to Real Madrid’s CEO, Jose Angel Sanchez. A new award, Best Scout of the Year, went to Juni Calafat, a man who is regarded as an integral part of Real’s global success.
For his outstanding achievements and superb qualities as a defender, Sérgio Ramos was awarded Best Defender of All Time, and Benfica, the current champions of UEFA Youth League, received the Best Youth Team of the Year award.
Two new awards, Power Horse Emerging Player of the Year went to Nigerian striker and emerging star of the game, Victor Osimhen, who has shown outstanding performances last season. The CNN Off The Pitch Award was presented to Didier Drogba for the work done by the Didier Drogba Foundation since 2007, to bring electricity to small villages and building health centres and schools, and donating to orphanages.
Best Sporting Director of the Year was awarded jointly to Technical Director, Paolo Maldini and Sport Director, Frederic Massara for their work at the Italian club AC Milan.
Recognising important aspects of the modern game, Best Agent of the Year went to Portuguese super-agent, Jorge Mendes and Best Transfer Deal of the Year went to Rafaela Pimenta for her influence, dedication, and talent. Acknowledging his long and successful career, René Ramos took home the Agent Career Award.
The newly launched Globe Soccer Digital Awards presented by 433, honoured the finest digital media influencers and creators in football’s virtual arena across five categories. The Best Football Esports Player went to current FIFAe World Cup champion Diogo Pombo aka Tuga810. Fabrizio Romano, the well-known sports journalist notorious for his accurate transfer market updates, took home the Best Football Journalist award. The Best Football Social Media Influencer was awarded to Khaby Lame, the successful video creator who commands a social media following well above 200 million. Mohammed Al Noufali aka Alnoufali_7, the accomplished freestyler from Oman, bagged the Best Football TikTok Creator award, and Aaron Ollero, the Spanish football content creator best known as Zabalive, received the Best Football YouTube Creator award.
Dubai Globe Soccer Awards 2022 Winners
- Tiktok Fan’s Player of the Year: Mohamed Salah
- Best Men’s Player of the Year: Karim Benzema
- Best Women’s Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas
- Best Men’s Club of the Year: Real Madrid
- Best Women’s Club of the Year: Lyon
- Best Coach of the Year: Carlo Ancelotti
- Power Horse Emerging Player of the Year: Victor Osimhen
- CNN Off The Pitch Award: Didier Drogba
- Best President of the Year: Florentino Pérez
- Best Sporting Director of the Year: Paolo Maldini / Frederic Massara
- Best Scout of the Year: Juni Calafat
- Best Agent of the Year: Jorge Mendes
- Best Transfer Deal of the Year: Rafaela Pimenta
- Best Executive of the Year: José Ángel Sánchez
- Best Youth Team of the Year: SL Benfica
- Best Defender of All Time: Sérgio Ramos
- Player Career Award: Zlatan Ibrahimović́
- Player Career Award: Wayne Rooney
- Player Career Award: Romário
- Coach Career Award: Unai Emery
- Executive Career Award: Adriano Galliani
- Agent Career Award: René Ramos
Dubai Globe Soccer Digital Awards 2022 Winners
- Best Football Esports Player: Tuga810
- Best Football Journalist: Fabrizio Romano
- Best Football Social Media Influencer: Khaby Lame
- Best Football TikTok Creator: Alnoufali_7
- Best Football YouTube Creator: ZABALIVE
More updates will be shared through Globe Soccer’s social media channels: @globesoccer on Instagram, @Globe_Soccer on Twitter, @globesoccer on Facebook, @globesoccer on TikTok and Globe Soccer Awards on YouTube.
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