Global InformationFIFA World Player of the Year information
| FIFA World Player of the Year | |
|---|---|
 Ronaldo, the youngest recipient of the award aged 20, won it three times. | |
| Presented by | FIFA |
| First awarded | 1991 |
| Last awarded | 2009 |
| Most awards |  Zinedine Zidane Ronaldo(3 awards each) |
| Website | fifa.com |
| Related | FIFA Ballon d'Or The Best FIFA Men's Player |
| FIFA Women's World Player of the Year | |
|---|---|
 Marta, the youngest recipient of the award aged 20, won it five times. | |
| Presented by | FIFA |
| First awarded | 2001 |
| Last awarded | 2015 |
| Most awards | Marta (5 awards) |
| Website | fifa.com |
| Related | The Best FIFA Women's Player |
The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award presented annually by the sport's governing body, FIFA, between 1991 and 2015 at the FIFA World Player Gala. Coaches and captains of international teams and media representatives selected the player they deem to have performed the best in the previous calendar year.
Originally a single award for the world's best men's player, parallel awards for men and women were awarded from 2001 to 2009. The men's award was subsumed into the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010 while the women's award remained until 2015. After 2015 both men's and women's awards became part of The Best FIFA Football Awards.
During the men's era, Brazilian players won 8 out of 19 years, compared to three wins – the second most – for French players. In terms of individual players, Brazil again led with five, followed by Italy and Portugal with two each.[1][2] The youngest winner was Ronaldo, who won at 20 years old in 1996, and the oldest winner was Fabio Cannavaro, who won aged 33 in 2006.[3][4] Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane each won the award three times, while Ronaldo and Ronaldinho were the only players to win in successive years. From 2010 to 2015, the equivalent men's award was the FIFA Ballon d'Or, following a merging of the FIFA World Player of the Year and the France Football Ballon d'Or awards.[5][6] Since 2016, the awards have been replaced by The Best FIFA Men's Player and The Best FIFA Women's Player awards.[7]
Eight women's footballers – three Germans, three Americans, one Brazilian, and one Japanese – have won the award. Marta, the youngest recipient at age 20 in 2006, has won five successive awards, the most of any player. Birgit Prinz won three times in a row and Mia Hamm won twice in a row. The oldest winner is Nadine Angerer, who was 35 when she won in 2013; she is also the only goalkeeper of either sex to win.
- ^ "FACTSheet FIFA awards" (PDF). FIFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ^ "FIFA Awards". RSSSF.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- ^ "Brazil legend Ronaldo retires from football". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ^ "Cannavaro discusses highs and lows". Football Federation Australia. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "The FIFA Ballon d'Or is born". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
- ^ "FIFA Ballon d'Or World Player of the Year: Award History". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
- ^ "The birth of The Best FIFA Football Awards". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.