From Cristiano Ronaldo to Ousmane Dembélé: The History of FIFA’s The Best Award
From Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembélé’s recent 2025 triumph, we review the full history of FIFA’s The Best award and its impact on world football.
The birth of The Best and its impact on modern football
The FIFA The Best Football Awards were established in 2016, following the definitive split between FIFA and France Football, marking a new era in recognizing the world’s top footballers. Since then, the award has become one of the most influential honors in global football, combining votes from fans, coaches, national team captains, and specialized media, offering a broader and more democratic view of yearly performance.
Unlike other individual awards, The Best does not only reward pure talent, but also competitive impact, consistency, and the ability to deliver on the biggest stages. As a result, its history reflects true periods of dominance, legendary rivalries, and generational shifts that have shaped the course of football over the last decade.
Messi, Cristiano and Lewandowski present in an unforgettable era
The award’s roll of honor reveals a clear trend: Lionel Messi is the most decorated player, with three wins (2019, 2022 and 2023), confirming his longevity and remarkable ability to reinvent himself even in the latter stages of his career. Close behind are Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski, each with two trophies, symbols of consistency, leadership, and relentless competitive drive.
Other names such as Luka Modrić (2018) briefly broke the attacking hegemony, while Vinicius Jr., the 2024 winner, represented the definitive explosion of a new generation that began to take control of the global stage. This journey does more than list champions; it maps the evolution of modern football and its most influential figures.
Dembélé 2025: total consecration and generational shift
The year 2025 marked a turning point with the crowning of Ousmane Dembélé as World Player of the Year at The Best awards, confirming a simply extraordinary season with Paris Saint-Germain. The 28-year-old Frenchman was decisive in winning Ligue 1, the French Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the UEFA Super Cup, delivering a campaign that placed him at the very top of world football.
Dembélé, who had already been recognized with the Ballon d’Or, finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal in the final vote, establishing himself as the new offensive benchmark in European football. His award not only recognizes statistics and trophies, but also his footballing maturity
The ideal XI and PSG's prominence at the gala
The gala also made clear the prominence of PSG, which was the most represented club in the Team of the Year, reflecting a historic season. Figures such as Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, William Pacho, and Dembélé himself led a lineup where talent and consistency made the difference.
