- Thirteen Premier League stars on 30-man list for Best Men’s Player at glittering gala event to be held alongside Dubai International Sports Conference at Atlantis, the Palm on January 19
- Hosted by Dubai Sports Council, two new Middle East awards join line-up, while Haaland, Kane, Mbappe, and Ronaldo contest Maradona Award for top goal-scorer in 2023
Dubai, UAE – November 21, 2023: Ten of Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League-winning squad, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah are among the 30 contenders for Best Men’s Player at the annual Dubai Globe Soccer Awards, which will take place alongside the 18th Dubai International Sports Conference in partnership with Dubai Sports Council on January 19 at the five-star Atlantis, The Palm.
One of the world’s leading celebrations of international football excellence, the 14th edition of the star-studded awards and the popular Dubai International Sports Conference will host an array of football stars from past and present. While the 30-player longlist for the best male player is dominated by the biggest names plying their trades in Europe, Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr and Lionel Messi of Inter Miami are also among the nominations.
In the Best Women’s Player category, Spain’s World Cup winner Aitana Bonmati, Chelsea’s Sam Kerr, and German great Alexandra Popp are among 20 nominees, while Best Women’s Club includes Champions League holders Barcelona and six-time Women’s Super League champions Chelsea. Manchester City are joined by the likes of Napoli, Al Ahly, Al Ittihad, and Fluminense in the Best Men’s Club nominations.
City’s treble-winning manager Pep Guardiola leads the nominations for Best Coach, alongside the likes of Marcel Koller, the Swiss who led Al Ahly to a five-trophy clean sweep in just 10 months, and Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti, the most decorated coach in UEFA Champions League history having won the trophy a record four times. The Maradona Award for the calendar year’s top goal-scorer meanwhile is being hotly contested by Haaland, Kane, Ronaldo, and Kylian Mbappe, who are all separated by only a handful of goals with less than six weeks left of 2023.
With Ronaldo’s stunning transfer to Saudi Arabia hurling regional football narratives into the global spotlight, this year will see the introduction of two Middle East award categories. The Portuguese forward headlines a 12-player list for the inaugural Best Middle East Player after a remarkable start to life in the Saudi Pro League, while Best Middle East Club includes eight nominations, including Al Hilal, Al Ahly, and Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.
With online voting opening today to recognise performances throughout the 2023 calendar year, football fans worldwide can have their say on who should be shortlisted for 11 of the 16 main categories, as well as four digital awards, by voting at vote.globesoccer.com until December 7. Shortlists are then voted on between December 12 and 28 both by fans and Globe Soccer’s Official Jury, made up of more than 30 key football industry figures, including Francesco Totti, Iker Casillas, Luis Figo, and Marcello Lippi.
Saeed Hareb, Secretary-General of Dubai Sports Council, said: “Since their launch, the Dubai International Sports Conference and the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards – introduced in 2006 and 2010 respectively – have evolved into a global platform loyally followed around the world, growing every year. They each play a pivotal role in fostering the development of the sport globally while highlighting the achievements of distinguished players, coaches, and decision-makers. To welcome so many of football’s most prominent names to Dubai underlines the enduring attraction of the emirate, while also celebrating the progress of football in the region and the world – something that is further strengthened by the launch of the two new region-specific awards this year.”
Tommaso Bendoni, Founder and CEO of Globe Soccer, added: “Our partnership with Dubai Sports Council remains invaluable to the ongoing expansion of the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards, and this year’s ceremony has an unforgettable home at the world-famous Atlantis, The Palm. As every year, I am most excited to see how fans vote. The voice of the fans has always been very important to us, and we have heeded their requests with the launch of our new app, where fans around the world can vote for 11 main awards and in a further four digital categories, selecting from more than 220 nominees across Africa, Australia, Asia, the Americas, and Europe. We are eternally proud that the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards reflects a true representation of the global game – from the world’s capital of Dubai.”
Bendoni also spoke of Globe Soccer’s pride to announce a pair of new sponsors in the form of Shiba Saga, an interconnected community-based crypto gaming system, which has signed on as Official Presenting Partner, and Tatatu, which joins as a Gold sponsor. Platinum sponsors Al Nabooda Automobiles, Audi, and Emirates all return once again, joining Gold sponsors Montegrappa, Power Horse, Silversands, and SushiSamba.
As in previous years, the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards will be broadcast live and accessible online worldwide on January 19. Further announcements and updates ahead of the gala ceremony and the co-located Dubai International Sports Conference will be shared on Globe Soccer’s social media channels. The new Globe Soccer app is available for download from the iOS App Store and Google Play by searching for “Globe Soccer”.
* For a full list of nominees for the 16 main awards and four digital awards please see below.
* For a press kit including images, videos, and various artworks, visit: https://bit.ly/GSA23PressKit
* For the official voting page: vote.globesoccer.com
GLOBE SOCCER AWARDS – Nominees 2023
Best Men’s Player
Julián Álvarez
Nicolò Barella
Jude Bellingham
Karim Benzema
Yassine Bounou
Kevin De Bruyne
Rúben Dias
Ederson
Phil Foden
Jack Grealish
Antoine Griezmann
Ilkay Gundogan
Erling Haaland
Harry Kane
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Robert Lewandowski
Lautaro Martínez
Kylian Mbappé
Lionel Messi
Kim Min-Jae
Luka Modric
Martin Odegaard
André Onana
Victor Osimhen
Rodri
Cristiano Ronaldo
Bukayo Saka
Mohamed Salah
Bernardo Silva
Vinícius Jr.
Best Women’s Player
Aitana Bonmatí
Millie Bright
Linda Caicedo
Olga Carmona
Rachel Daly
Debinha
Kadidiatou Diani
Mary Earps
Esther González
Patricia Guijarro
Yui Hasegawa
Amanda Ilestedt
Sam Kerr
Mapi Leon
Asisat Oshoala
Salma Paralluelo
Alexandra Popp
Wendie Renard
Fridolina Rolfo
Georgia Stanway
Fans’ Favourite Player
Jude Bellingham
Erling Haaland
Harry Kane
Robert Lewandowski
Kylian Mbappé
Lionel Messi
Neymar Jr.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Mohamed Salah
Vinícius Jr.
Best Men’s Club
Al Ahly
Al-Hilal
Al-Ittihad
Arsenal
Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Benfica
Boca Juniors
Feyenoord
Fluminense
Inter Milan
Manchester City
Napoli
PSG
AS Roma
Sevilla
Union Berlin
Urawa Red Diamonds
West Ham
Wydad AC
Best Women’s Club
Ajax
Arsenal
Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Benfica
Chelsea
Olympique Lyonnais
Portland Thorns
AS Roma
VfL Wolfsburg
Best Coach
Carlo Ancelotti
Mikel Arteta
Roberto De Zerbi
Luis de la Fuente
Jonatan Giráldez
Josep Guardiola
Simone Inzaghi
Marcel Koller
Stefano Pioli
Lionel Scaloni
Luciano Spalletti
Alessandro Spugna
Thomas Tuchel
Sarina Wiegmann
Xavi
Best Midfielder
Nicolò Barella
Jude Bellingham
Kevin De Bruyne
Ilkay Gundogan
Luka Modric
Martin Odegaard
Pedri
Declan Rice
Rodri
Bernardo Silva
Best Goalkeeper
Yassine Bounou
Diogo Costa
Thibaut Courtois
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Ederson
Mike Maignan
André Onana
Aaron Ramsdale
Yann Sommer
Marc-André ter Stegen
Power Horse Emerging Player
Saud Abdulhamid
Firas Al-Buraikan
Thiago Almada
Tommaso Baldanzi
Alejandro Balde
Jude Bellingham
Victor Boniface
Moisés Caicedo
Eduardo Camavinga
Cesare Casadei
Ousmane Diomande
Jérémy Doku
Omar Fayed
Evan Ferguson
Enzo Fernandez
Gavi
Arda Guler
Josko Gvardiol
Rasmus Hojlund
Jamal Musiala
Pedri
António Silva
Xavi Simons
Mathys Tel
Florian Wirtz
Lamine Yamal
Warren Zaire-Emery
Best President
Khaldoon Al Mubarak
José Castro
Rui Costa
Aurelio De Laurentiis
Herbert Hainer
Joan Laporta
Joseph Oughourlian
Florentino Pérez
Best Sporting Director
Mateu Alemany
Txiki Begiristain
Eduardo César Daud Gaspar
Cristiano Giuntoli
Monchi
Thiago Scuro
Best Middle East Player
Salem Al-Dawsari
Mourad Batna
Karim Benzema
Mohamed El Shenawy
Abderrazak Hamdallah
Odion Ighalo
Ali Mabkhout
Riyad Mahrez
Michael Olunga
Alejandro Romero
Cristiano Ronaldo
Anderson Talisca
Best Middle East Club
Al Ahly
Al-Duhail
Al Hilal
Al-Ittihad
Al-Nassr
Al-Rayyan
Al-Shabab Shabab Al Ahli
Best Agent
To be announced
Maradona Award
To be announced
Career Award and Other Special Recognitions
To be announced
Best Esports Player
AbuMakkah
AndoniiPM
EthxnH
LevideWeerd
ManuelBachoore
MatiasBonanno9
Msdossary7
Neat110
Obrun2002
PauloNeto999
PHzin
Resende
Stingrayjnr
Umut Vejrgang
Best Digital Journalist
Guillem Balagué
Andy Brassell
George Caulkin
Andrea Di Caro
Gianluca Di Marzio
Robby Hunke
Julio Maldonado ‘Maldini’
Gabriele Marcotti
Mark Ogden
David Ornstein
Fabrizio Romano
Gerard Romero
Didier Roustan
Nicolò Schira
Jonathan Wilson
Best Social Media Influencer
AguskaFree
Alnoufali_7
Aminho
BenBlack
Chunkz
Footy.Base
LeonStreetSkills
Miguel do fut
MoAliFC
OussiFooty
Mercedes Roa
SyleMatoshi
TobiasFreestyle
Zerobrainer0
Lisa Zimouche
Best Video Creator
Adonias
Asgari_freestyle
Ch_soccer
ChrisMD
Daniel Got Hits
Elenisoccer7
Bruno Ferrante
Futcrunch
Daniel Johnson Films
Gomez Nawer
John Nellis
Pitch_addict
SV2
The Manchester Derby
Thogden