The Best award list: all the FIFA World Player winners

The history of recent football has been dominated by a few players. So much so, that the biggest individual awards in the world of football have been shared by very few superstars, unique players in football history with names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi or Ronaldinho. And apart from the trophy that every footballer has dreamed of since he was a child - the Ballon d'Or - there is another award that is just as important in the world of football.

Renamed in 2016 as The Best FIFA Award, and after a five-year break between 2010 and 2015, when the prize was not awarded, the former FIFA World Player Award has now been awarded for six consecutive editions, awaiting the World Cup, when the winner of its 26th edition will be decided. Twenty-five awards have already been handed out and there is one more to go to whoever stands out most individually in the tournament of nations. But let's take a look at the history of this award, which has names such as Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario and Robert Lewandowski, among others, in its trophy cabinet.

List of 'The Best FIFA Player' winners (1991-2022):

The Best Player FIFA 20223:
WINNER: Leo Messi (PSG)

The Best Player FIFA 2022:
WINNER: Leo Messi (PSG)

The Best Player FIFA 2021:
WINNER: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

The Best Player FIFA 2020:
WINNER: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

The Best Player FIFA 2019:
WINNER: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

The Best Player FIFA 2018:
WINNER: Luka Modric (Real Madrid)

The Best Player FIFA 2017:
WINNER: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

The Best Player FIFA 2016:
WINNER: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

FIFA World Player 2009:
WINNER: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

FIFA World Player 2008:
WINNER: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

FIFA World Player 2007:
WINNER: Kaka (AC Milan)

FIFA World Player 2006:
WINNER: Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid)

FIFA World Player 2005:
WINNER: Ronaldinho (Barcelona)

FIFA World Player 2004:
WINNER: Ronaldinho (Barcelona)

FIFA World Player 2003:
WINNER: Zinedine Zidane (Juventus)

FIFA World Player 2002:
WINNER: Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

FIFA World Player 2001:
WINNER: Luis Figo (Real Madrid)

FIFA World Player 2000:
WINNER: Zinedine Zidane (Juventus)

FIFA World Player 1999:
WINNER: Rivaldo (Barcelona)

FIFA World Player 1998:
WINNER: Zinedine Zidane (Juventus)

FIFA World Player 1997:
WINNER: Ronaldo (Inter Milan)

FIFA World Player 1996:
WINNER: Ronaldo (Barcelona)

FIFA World Player 1995:
WINNER: George Weah (Milan)

FIFA World Player 1994:
WINNER: Romário (Barcelona)

FIFA World Player 1993:
WINNER: Roberto Baggio (Juventus)

FIFA World Player 1992:
WINNER: Marco Van Basten (Milan)

FIFA World Player 1991:
WINNER: Lothar Matthaüs (Inter Milan)

Who has won The Best the most times?

As we can see from the data, the players who received the award the most times were, in chronological order, according to the number of awards:

Lionel Messi: 4 awards (2009, 2019, 2022, 2023)
Ronaldo Nazário: 3 awards (1996, 1997 and 2002)
Zinedine Zidane: 3 awards (1998, 2000 and 2003)
Cristiano Ronaldo: 3 awards (2008, 2016 and 2017)
Ronaldinho: 2 awards (2004 and 2005)
Robert Lewandowski: 2 awards (2020 and 2021)