England manager Sarina Wiegman received the Coach of the Year accolade, and Mary Earps was honored as the Best Goalkeeper for the second consecutive year at the FIFA Best Awards.
Midfielder Aitana Bonmati of Spain and Barcelona clinched the Women’s Player of the Year title, complementing her Women’s Ballon d’Or and UEFA Women’s Player of the Year recognitions.
Bonmati secured the award, surpassing competition from Colombia and Real Madrid standout Linda Caicedo, as well as Spain teammate Jenni Hermoso.
Meanwhile, Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps claimed the Best Goalkeeper honor, outshining West Ham’s Mackenzie Arnold and Barcelona’s Catalina Coll.
This marks Wiegman’s fourth win of the Coach of the Year award, adding to her previous victories in 2017, 2020, and 2022.
She prevailed over Jonatan Giraldez, the triumphant coach of Barcelona Femeni in their treble-winning season, and Chelsea’s Emma Hayes, the 2022 awardee.
Aitana Bonmati’s achievement mirrors that of her Barcelona teammate Alexia Putellas, who accomplished a clean sweep of the top individual prizes in 2021.
The midfielder has shone for both club and country in recent years, helping to lead Barcelona to treble-winning success last season and Spain to their first major trophy win at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia.
Wiegman wins fourth best coach of the year award
Wiegman guided the Lionesses to the Euro 2022 final, followed by their inaugural appearance in a World Cup final the subsequent summer. This marked her second instance of leading a national side to consecutive major finals, a feat she previously achieved with the Netherlands in 2017 and 2019.
Under Wiegman’s leadership, the Lionesses continued to amass accolades in 2023, securing victory in the inaugural Women’s Finalissima against Brazil in April and claiming the Arnold Clark Cup.
Wiegman’s remarkable coaching record is underscored by her frequent appearances on the FIFA Best Women’s Coach podium, having been featured seven times and winning the award four times.
“I didn’t expect to win,” said Wiegman. “We have had a very good run with England but so have a lot of teams.
“Going to the top is easier than staying there, after winning the Euros everyone really wants to beat us. We want to improve every day and keep winning games,” she added.
Earps rounds off stellar year
Earps’ impressive streak endures, highlighted by her notable penalty save during England’s inaugural World Cup final appearance in the summer, albeit a match they ultimately lost 1-0 to Spain.
Collecting the Fifa Best goalkeeper prize for the second successive year, the Manchester United keeper said: “It just feels even more special [to win it again], to have a level of consistency is the most difficult thing you can do in football.
“It is really hard to maintain levels when people have really high expectations of you.”
Her exceptional contributions throughout the season resulted in her winning both the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year and BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year awards. Additionally, she was honored as the Women’s Super League goalkeeper of the year and achieved a fifth-place ranking in the Ballon d’Or voting.
Mary Earps also secured a place in the Fifpro Women’s World XI, alongside Olga Carmona, Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood, Keira Walsh, Alessia Russo, Lauren James, Ella Toone, Aitana Bonmati, Alex Morgan, and Sam Kerr.