The Best FIFA Football Awards™ explained
In 2016, on its 25th anniversary of honouring world football’s top performers, FIFA decided to take the game’s most prestigious individual award in a new, modern direction. One that reflects the organisation’s mission of bringing football centre stage.
The idea was to connect directly with the football world. To speak the language informally used by those who love the game – and who consider a player, a coach or a goal to be simply “the best”.
The Best FIFA Football Awards™ were born under this sign. It is a celebration made for and by the most important actors of the football scene – the players, coaches, media and fans.
Players, coaches, fans and media all have a say. An award voted directly by those who are the heart and soul of the football world. “This event should be all about the game. Nothing else,” summed up FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The voice of the football fan had never been taken into account this way before. The Best FIFA Football Awards came forth as a celebration of those who love the sport, encapsulated by the inception of the inaugural FIFA Fan Award – an annual recognition of remarkable moments that feature supporters as protagonists.
A brand to bring football where it belongs
The brand narrative for The Best FIFA Football Awards™ was inspired by how numbers have the power to shape our perception of football. How a numeral on the back of a shirt can become synonymous with a position on the pitch; a historic milestone; the brilliance of a legendary player. The brand revisits football history and brings us back to our warmest memories.
The inspiration comes from the power and passion of football greats who are on every fan’s preferred 11. We all have a beloved No10, a favoured No6 or a chosen No7 – all special numbers that became legendary as they were worn by true football myths. This is the essence of the logotype: legendary numbers playing the role of letters, shaping a platinum The Best to convey in the ultimate award of the most passionate sport of all.
The Best is a brand that looks to bring football back where it belongs: close to our hearts.