Going for the Gold.. What awards can you win from UEFA?
The UEFA Club Football Awards are traditionally started in 1998 and ran until 2010 before being replaced by the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award in 2011.
New voting procedures were introduced in 2005/06 with the head coaches of the 16 sides which reached the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds all having a say.
In 2009/10, Diego Milito's goals helped FC Internazionale Milano claim a historic treble and earned him the final UEFA Club Footballer of the Year prize as well as the title of UEFA Club Forward of the Year.
It proved to be a unique clean sweep for Inter, in fact, with Nerazzurri playmaker Wesley Sneijder scooping the midfielder award, right-back Maicon being named top defender and Júlio César taking the goalkeeping honour.
New voting procedures were introduced in 2005/06 with the head coaches of the 16 sides which reached the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds all having a say.
In 2009/10, Diego Milito's goals helped FC Internazionale Milano claim a historic treble and earned him the final UEFA Club Footballer of the Year prize as well as the title of UEFA Club Forward of the Year.
It proved to be a unique clean sweep for Inter, in fact, with Nerazzurri playmaker Wesley Sneijder scooping the midfielder award, right-back Maicon being named top defender and Júlio César taking the goalkeeping honour.
UEFA Best Player In Europe Award:
The UEFA Best Player in Europe Award is an association football award given to the footballer playing for a football club in Europe that is considered the best in the previous season. The award, created in 2011 by UEFA, is aimed at reviving the European Footballer of the Year Award (Ballon d'Or), which was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year Award in 2010 to become the FIFA Ballon d'Or. It also replaced the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award.
The inaugural award was won by Lionel Messi in 2011. Cristiano Ronaldo, Andrés Iniesta and Messi were shortlisted for the 2012 award, which was won by Andrés Iniesta. |
CriteriaAccording to UEFA, the award "recognise[s] the best player, irrespective of his nationality, playing for a football club within the territory of a UEFA member association during the previous season." Players are judged by their performances in all competitions, domestic and international, and at club and national team levels throughout the season.
VotingThe award's voting format is a return to the old Ballon d'Or, which was decided purely by journalists.
In the first round of voting, 53 sports journalists representing each of the UEFA national associations provide a list of their three best-ranked players from one to three, with the first player receiving five points, the second three points and the third one point. The three players with the most points overall are shortlisted. The jury comprises renowned sports journalists representing each of UEFA's national associations, from RTV Albania to the Daily Post in Wales via members of European Sports Media, with whom UEFA collaborated on this award. The final vote, also by the journalists, then takes place live via electronic voting during the presentation ceremony. |
UEFA Team of the Year Award:
The UEFA Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its official website. This award started in 2001 to allow users and visitors of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their overall performances in European club football and international competitions.
Appearance RecordsThe players with the most appearances in the team are Carles Puyol having appeared six times. Second is Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas with 5 appearances. Alessandro Nesta, John Terry, Lionel Messi and Xavi have four. They are followed by several players with three appearances: Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Pavel Nedvěd, Gianluigi Buffon, Steven Gerrard, Kaká, Dani Alves and Iniesta.
The most consecutive appearances in the team is five for Cristiano Ronaldo (2007–11) and Iker Casillas (2007–11). The teams with the most player appearances (not including manager appearances) are Barcelona with 31, Real Madrid (19), followed by Milan (17), Juventus (10), Arsenal (9), Manchester United (8) and Chelsea (8). Barcelona has been the team with more players selected in a single season with 6 players in 2009 and 2010, 5 players in 2011, four players in 2006 and 3 players in 2005 and 2008. The only other teams with more than two players in one season are Real Madrid with 3 players in 2002,2003 and 2011, Milan with 3 players in 2004, 2005 and 2007 and Juventus with 3 players in 2006. The manager with the most appearances is José Mourinho, with four appearances (one with Internazionale, two with Porto, one with Chelsea). He is followed by Alex Ferguson and Josep Guardiola, with two. |
Selection ProcessThe writers at the website construct a shortlist of sixty footballers and coaches who have performed well in European club competition and international tournaments for that particular year.
Users then go on the website and cast their vote of a lineup consisting of eleven players (including a goalkeeper, four defenders, four midfielders, and two strikers) and a coach based on who they believed excelled in European football. After the selection is made, the user also has to select one of the players to be the captain of their team. After the votes are cast, they are tallied and the final team are announced on the website itself. |
Short Introduction to the UEFA Super Cup:
The UEFA Super Cup (also called the European Super Cup) is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two club competitions organised by the European football governing body UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. It takes place at the start of the domestic season, in August, normally on a Friday. It has taken place at Stade Louis II in Monaco from its beginning.
From 1972 to 1999, the UEFA Super Cup was contested between the winners of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and the winners of the European Cup Winners' Cup/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. After the discontinuation of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, it has been contested by the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the winners of the UEFA Cup, which was renamed the UEFA Europa League in 2009.
The current champions are Spanish club Atletico Madrid after they beat Chelsea FC 4–1 in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup. The most successful team in the competition is Italian side Milan, who have won the trophy five times.
From 1972 to 1999, the UEFA Super Cup was contested between the winners of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and the winners of the European Cup Winners' Cup/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. After the discontinuation of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, it has been contested by the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the winners of the UEFA Cup, which was renamed the UEFA Europa League in 2009.
The current champions are Spanish club Atletico Madrid after they beat Chelsea FC 4–1 in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup. The most successful team in the competition is Italian side Milan, who have won the trophy five times.