IFFHS

The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football.^[2][3][4] It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig.^[2] The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for some time but, in 2010, relocated to Bonn, Germany, and then in 2014 to Zürich.^[5]

International Federation of Football History & Statistics

Formation	1984
Headquarters	Zürich, Switzerland
Official language	English, French, Spanish, German
President	Saleh Irfan Bahwini[1]
Website	iffhs.com

From its early stages to 2002, the IFFHS concentrated on publishing the quarterly magazines Fußball-Weltzeitschrift, Libero spezial deutsch and Libero international.^[6] When these had to be discontinued for reasons which were not officially told, the organisation published its material in a series of multi-lingual books in co-operation with sponsors.^[7] The statistical organisation has now confined its publishing activities to its website. IFFHS has no affiliation with FIFA,^[8] but FIFA has cited awards and records conducted by IFFHS on their website.^{[9][10][11][12]}

In 2008, Karl Lennartz, a sports historian and professor at the University of Cologne, Germany, called the organisation "obscure", describing it as a one-man show of its founder Alfredo Pöge.^[13] IFFHS rankings and their significance have been a matter of criticism and the largest German news agency, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, refuse to publish them.^[13] Furthermore, German die Tageszeitung stated that the IFFHS rankings serves merely for publicity,^[13] although Bild,^[14] Deutsche Welle,^[15] Kicker-Sportmagazin,^[16] German Football Association (DFB),^[17] and former president of the Association of West German Sports Journalists (German: Verbandes Westdeutscher Sportjournalisten — VWS) Heribert Faßbender have referenced IFFHS.^[18]

The World's Best Club

Main article: IFFHS World's Best Club

Since 1991, the entity has produced a monthly Club World Ranking.

Real Madrid and Barcelona, ten-time winners of the world's Best Club award.

The ranking takes into consideration the results of twelve months of continental and intercontinental competitions, national league matches (including play-offs) and the most important national cup (excluding points won before the round of 16).

All countries are rated at four levels based upon the national league performance—clubs in the highest level leagues receive 4 points for each match won, 2 for a draw and 0 for a defeat. Level 2 is assigned 3 pts. (win), 1.5 (draw) and 0 (lost), and so on with the next lower levels.

In continental competitions, all clubs receive the same number of points at all stages regardless of the performance level of their leagues. However, the UEFA Champions League and the Copa Libertadores yield more points than UEFA Europa League and Copa Sudamericana, respectively. The point assignment system is still lower for the AFC, CAF, CONCACAF and OFC continental tournaments. Competitions between two continents are evaluated depending upon their importance. Competitions not organised by a continental confederation, or any intercontinental events not recognized by FIFA, are not taken into consideration.

Men's winners

Winners (1991–present)^[19]

Club	Wins	Years
Real Madrid	5	2000, 2002, 2014, 2017, 2024
Barcelona		1997, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015
Liverpool	3	2001, 2005, 2019
Juventus	2	1993, 1996
Milan		1995, 2003
Sevilla		2006, 2007
Manchester United		1999, 2008
Inter Milan		1998, 2010
Bayern Munich		2013, 2020
Roma	1	1991
Ajax	1	1992
Paris Saint-Germain	1	1994
Atlético Nacional	1	2016
Atlético Madrid	1	2018
Palmeiras	1	2021
Flamengo	1	2022
Manchester City	1	2023

Continental Men's Clubs of the Century (1901–2000)

Real Madrid, European club of the 20th century.

Boca Juniors, South American team of the decade (2001–2010).

In 2009, the IFFHS released the results of a statistical study series which determined the best continental clubs of the 20th century.^[20] The ranking did not consider the performance of the teams in national football tournaments (except in the Oceania's club ranking due to limited editions held under OFC club competitions), the performance in the intercontinental or worldwide club competitions or those submitted in the IFFHS Club World Ranking, available since 1991.^[21]

Based on this study, which assigned a weighted score criteria applied for each competition analysed, the below six clubs were named as "continental clubs of the century" by the IFFHS between 10 September and 13 October 2009. These clubs were awarded with a golden trophy and a certificate during the World Football Gala celebrated at Fulham, London, on 11 May 2010.^[22][23][24]

Continent	Club
Europe	Real Madrid
South America	Peñarol
Africa	Asante Kotoko
Asia	Al-Hilal
CONCACAF	Saprissa
Oceania	South Melbourne

The Best Men's Club of the Decade

In 2012, the IFFHS recognised Barcelona as the World's Best Club Team of the Decade for the first decade of the 21st century (2001–2010).^[25] In 2021, Barcelona were recognised as the world's best club also for the second decade (2011–2020).

Decade	World	Europe	South America	CONCACAF	Africa	Asia	Oceania
2001–2010	Barcelona[25]	Barcelona[26]	Boca Juniors[27]	América[28]	Al Ahly[29]	Al-Hilal[30]	Auckland City[31]
2011–2020	Barcelona[32]	Barcelona[33]	Grêmio[34]	UANL[35]	Espérance de Tunis[36]	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors[37]	Auckland City[38]

Women's winners

Multiple winners (2012–present)^[39]

Club	Wins	Years
Lyon	7	2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Barcelona	4	2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
VfL Wolfsburg	2	2013, 2014

Lyon, seven-time winner of the Women's World's Best Club award.

The World's Strongest National League

Premier League, Strongest National League of the Decade (2001–2010).

Men's league

Multiple winners (1991–present)

League	Wins	Years
Spain	13[40]	2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2012,[41] 2013,[42] 2014,[43] 2015,[44] 2016,[45] 2017,[46] 2018[47]
Italy	13	1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2020,[48] 2023,[49] 2024[50]
England	5	2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2019[51]
Brazil	2	2021,[52] 2022[53]

The Strongest National League of the Decade

Decade	World	Europe	South America	CONCACAF	Africa	Asia	Oceania
2001–2010	England[54]	England[54]	Brazil[54]	Mexico[54]	Egypt[54]	Japan[54]	New Zealand[54]
2011–2020	Spain[55]	Spain[56]	Brazil[56]	Mexico[56]	Tunisia[56]	South Korea[56]	New Zealand[56]

Women's league

Year	League
2020	England[57]
2021	France[58]
2022	Spain[59]
2023	Spain[60]

The World's Best Player

Main article: IFFHS World's Best Player

Robert Lewandowski won the Best Player award in 2020 and 2021.

Men's winners

From 1991 until 2009, FIFA continued this distinction named "FIFA World Player of the Year"; this award was later replaced by the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010, and The Best FIFA Men's Player in 2016. The award was reinstated in 2020.

Winners (1988–1990,
2020–present)

Player	Wins	Years
Marco van Basten	2	1988,[61] 1989[62]
Robert Lewandowski		2020,[63] 2021[64]
Lothar Matthäus	1	1990[65]
Lionel Messi		2022[66]
Erling Haaland		2023[67]
Rodri		2024[68]

Alexia Putellas won the Best Player award in 2021 and 2022.

Women's winners

Winners (2020–present)

Player	Wins	Years
Alexia Putellas	2	2021,[69] 2022[70]
Aitana Bonmatí		2023,[71] 2024[72]
Pernille Harder	1	2020[73]

The World's Best Man Player of the Century (1901–2000)

Pelé, Male Player of the Century (1901–2000).

Top 10 players^[74]

Rank	Player	Nationality	Points
1	Pelé	Brazil	1705
2	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	1303
3	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	1228
4	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Argentina	1215
5	Diego Maradona	Argentina	1214
6	Ferenc Puskás	Hungary	810
7	Michel Platini	France	722
8	Garrincha	Brazil	624
9	Eusébio	Portugal	544
10	Bobby Charlton	England	508

The World's Best Woman Player of the Century (1901–2000)

Mia Hamm, Female Player of the Century (1901–2000).

IFFHS gave out an award decided by votes which was conducted with the participation of journalists and former players (no further details given).^[75]

Top 10 players^[76]

Rank	Player	Nationality	Points
1	Mia Hamm	United States	442
2	Michelle Akers	United States	411
3	Heidi Mohr	Germany	250
4	Carolina Morace	Italy	230
5	Sissi	Brazil	212
6	Linda Medalen	Norway	181
7	Liu Ailing	China	165
8	Kristine Lilly	United States	160
9	Heidi Støre	Norway	141
10	Pia Sundhage	Sweden	129

The World's Best Man Player of the 19th Century (until 1900)

In November 2021 IFFHS announced the Dream Team of the XIX Century and the top 3 players.

Gilbert Oswald Smith, Male Player of the 19th Century.

Top 3 players^[77]

Rank	Player	Nationality
1	Gilbert Oswald Smith	England
2	John Goodall	England
3	Steve Bloomer	England

Top 10 players of all-time (2025)

In May 2025 IFFHS announced the top 10 players of all time, based on performance stats, with Lionel Messi being the winner surpassing Pele, the IFFHS Player of the 20th Century.

Top 10 players^[78]

Rank	Player	Nationality
1	Lionel Messi	Argentina
2	Pele	Brazil
3	Diego Maradona	Argentina
4	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal
5	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands
6	Ronaldo	Brazil
7	Zinedine Zidane	France
8	Franz Beckenbauer	Germany
9	Alfredo Di Stefano	Argentina
10	Ronaldinho	Brazil

The World's Best Youth (U20) Player

Jude Bellingham won the Best Youth (U20) Player award twice

The award was introduced in 2021.

Men's winners

Year	Winner	Club(s)
2021	Pedri[79]	Barcelona
2022	Jude Bellingham[80]	Borussia Dortmund
2023	Jude Bellingham[81]	Borussia Dortmund Real Madrid
2024	Lamine Yamal[82]	Barcelona

Women's winners

Year	Winner	Club(s)
2021	Hanna Bennison[83]	FC Rosengård Everton
2022	Linda Caicedo[84]	Deportivo Cali
2023	Salma Paralluelo[85]	Barcelona
2024	Vicky López[86]	Barcelona

The World's Best Playmaker

Men's winners

Lionel Messi has won a record five IFFHS best playmaker awards.^[87]

Xavi won the award a record four consecutive years.

The IFFHS World's Best Playmaker is a footballing award which, since 2006, is given annually to the best playmaker of the year, as chosen by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).^[88]

The award is awarded at the end of the year at the World Football Gala: the winning playmaker is awarded a gold trophy. Argentina's Lionel Messi has won the award a record five times. Spain's Xavi won the award four times, all consecutively, while Belgian Kevin De Bruyne won the award three times. Barcelona is the club with the most wins, with ten in total.

Lionel Messi was named the Best Playmaker since 2006 and the Best Playmaker of the Decade 2011–2020.^[89][90]

Year	Winner	Club(s)
2006	Zinedine Zidane	Real Madrid
2007	Kaká	Milan
2008	Xavi	Barcelona
2009	Xavi	Barcelona
2010	Xavi	Barcelona
2011	Xavi	Barcelona
2012	Andrés Iniesta	Barcelona
2013	Andrés Iniesta	Barcelona
2014	Toni Kroos	Bayern Munich Real Madrid
2015	Lionel Messi	Barcelona
2016	Lionel Messi	Barcelona
2017	Lionel Messi	Barcelona
2018	Luka Modrić	Real Madrid
2019	Lionel Messi	Barcelona
2020	Kevin De Bruyne	Manchester City
2021	Kevin De Bruyne	Manchester City
2022	Lionel Messi[91]	Paris Saint-Germain
2023	Kevin De Bruyne[92]	Manchester City
2024	Jude Bellingham[93]	Real Madrid
Source:[94]

Multiple winners (2006–present)

Player	Wins	Years
Lionel Messi	5	2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022
Xavi	4	2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Kevin De Bruyne	3	2020, 2021, 2023
Andrés Iniesta	2	2012, 2013
Source:[94]

Women's winners

Aitana Bonmatí was named Best Playmaker in 2023 and 2024.

Dzsenifer Marozsán was named the Best Playmaker since 2006 and the Best Playmaker of the Decade 2011–2020.^[95][96]

Year	Winner	Club(s)
2012	Marta[97]	Tyresö FF
2013	Lena Goeßling[98]	VfL Wolfsburg
2014	Nadine Keßler[99]	VfL Wolfsburg
2015	Carli Lloyd[100]	Houston Dash
2016	Dzsenifer Marozsán[101]	Lyon
2017	Lieke Martens[102]	FC Rosengård Barcelona
2018	Dzsenifer Marozsán[103]	Lyon
2019	Megan Rapinoe[104]	Reign FC
2020	Dzsenifer Marozsán[105]	Lyon
2021	Alexia Putellas[106]	Barcelona
2022	Alexia Putellas[107]	Barcelona
2023	Aitana Bonmatí[108]	Barcelona
2024	Aitana Bonmatí[109]	Barcelona

The World's Best Goalkeeper

Main article: IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper

Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas is tied with Gianluigi Buffon and Manuel Neuer (5), with a record five consecutive wins between 2008 and 2012.

Men's winners

Multiple winners (1987–present)^[110]

Player	Wins	Years
Iker Casillas	5	2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Gianluigi Buffon		2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2017
Manuel Neuer		2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020
Walter Zenga	3	1989, 1990, 1991
José Luis Chilavert		1995, 1997, 1998
Oliver Kahn		1999, 2001, 2002
Peter Schmeichel	2	1992, 1993
Thibaut Courtois		2018, 2022

Women's winners

Multiple winners (2012–present)^[111]

Player	Wins	Years
Hope Solo	4	2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Sarah Bouhaddi		2016, 2017, 2018, 2020
Christiane Endler	2	2021, 2022

The World's Best Top Goal Scorer

Main article: IFFHS World's Best Top Goal Scorer

Cristiano Ronaldo has been the Top Goal Scorer of the Year a record five times. He is also the Best Goal Scorer in History.

This award is given annually since 2020, and retroactively from 2011 to 2019, to the world's top goalscorer in the calendar year.

Men's winners

Multiple winners (2010*–present)^[112][113]

Player	Wins	Years
Cristiano Ronaldo	5	2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2023
Lionel Messi	2	2012, 2016
Robert Lewandowski		2020, 2021

All-time World's Best Goal Scorer ranking

Romário ranks 4th in the All-time World's Best Goal Scorer ranking with 756 goals.

As of 30 May 2025^[114][115]

Bold indicates players currently active.

Top 10 goal scorers of all-time

Rank	Player	Goals
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	936
2	Lionel Messi	865
3	Pelé	762
4	Romário	756
5	Ferenc Puskás	725
6	Josef Bican	722
7	Robert Lewandowski	673
8	Jimmy Jones	639
9	Gerd Müller	634
10	Joe Bambrick	626

Jenni Hermoso scored 48 goals in 2021.

Women's winners

The women's award was introduced in 2021.

Year	Winner	Club	Goals
2021	Jennifer Hermoso[116]	Barcelona	48
2022	Fenna Kalma[117]	Twente	45
2023	Temwa Chawinga[118]	Wuhan Jianghan	63
2024	Charlyn Corral[119]	Pachuca	44

The World's Best International Goal Scorer

Main article: IFFHS World's Best International Goal Scorer

This award is given annually since 1991 to the world's top international goalscorer in the calendar year.

Sam Kerr scored 12 goals for her country in 2022.

Men's winners

Multiple winners (1991–present)^[120]

Player	Wins	Years
Cristiano Ronaldo	5	2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019
Lionel Messi	3	2011, 2012, 2022
Ali Daei	2	1996, 2004
Robert Lewandowski		2015, 2021
Romelu Lukaku		2020, 2023

Women's winners

The women's award was introduced in 2021.

Year	Winner	Club	Goals
2021	Ellen White[121]	Manchester City	21
2022	Sam Kerr[122]	Chelsea	17
2023	Barbra Banda[123]	Shanghai Shengli	15
2024	Lea Schüller[124]	Bayern Munich	14

The World's Best Top Division Goal Scorer

Lionel Messi has won the award a record four times.^[87]

This award is given annually since 1997 to the player who scores the most goals in a league season (in a calendar year since 2020) in any of the top 60 leagues in the world (as ranked by IFFHS for that given year).

Men's winners

Year	Winner	Club(s)	Goals
1997	Hakan Şükür	Galatasaray	38
1998	Iván Kaviedes	Emelec	43
1999	Mário Jardel	Porto	36
2000	Mário Jardel	Porto	38
2001	José Alfredo Castillo	Oriente Petrolero	42
2002	Joaquín Botero	Bolívar	49
2003	José Cardozo	Toluca	58
2004	Patricio Galaz	Cobreloa	42
2005	Clemerson Araújo	Gamba Osaka	33
2006	Klaas-Jan Huntelaar	Ajax	35
2007	Afonso Alves	Heerenveen	34
2008	Lucas Barrios	Colo-Colo	37
2009	Marc Janko	RB Salzburg	39
2010	Luis Suárez	Ajax	35
2011	Aleksandrs Čekulajevs	Narva Trans	46
2012	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	50
2013	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	46
2014	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	31
	Luis Suárez	Liverpool
2015	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	48
2016	Luis Suárez	Barcelona	40
2017	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	37
2018	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	34
	Jonas	Benfica
2019	Baghdad Bounedjah	Al Sadd	39
Calendar year
2020	Cristiano Ronaldo	Juventus	33
2021	Robert Lewandowski[125]	Bayern Munich	43
2022	Germán Cano[126]	Fluminense	33
2023	Harry Kane[127]	Tottenham Hotspur Bayern Munich	38
2024	Viktor Gyökeres[128]	Sporting	36
Source:[129]

Multiple winners (1997–present)

Player	Wins	Years
Lionel Messi	4	2012, 2013, 2017, 2018 (shared)
Luis Suárez	3	2010, 2014 (shared), 2016
Cristiano Ronaldo		2014 (shared), 2015, 2020
Mário Jardel	2	1999, 2000

All-time World's Best Top Division Goal Scorer ranking

Ferenc Puskás

As of 30 May 2025^{[130][131][132][133]}

Bold indicates players currently active.

Top 10 top division goal scorers of all-time

Rank	Player	Goals
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	572
2	Lionel Messi	528
3	Josef Bican	515
	Ferenc Puskás
5	Imre Schlosser	417
6	Gyula Zsengellér	416
7	Robert Lewandowski	413
8	Jimmy McGrory	409
9	Luis Suárez	407
10	Gerd Müller	405

The World's Best Top Division Goal Scorer of the First Decade (2001–2010)

The final list includes the 18 players who scored 150 or more goals in top-tier national leagues in the period of time from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2010.

The results were posted on the IFFHS' official website on 25 September 2022.^[134]

Players with at least 180 goals

Rank	Player	Nation	Goals	Club(s)
1	Aleksandar Đurić	Singapore	246	Geylang United (2001–04) Singapore Armed Forces FC (2005–09) Tampines Rovers (2010)
2	Marc Lloyd Williams	Wales	236	Bangor City (2001–02; 2003; 2006-07) Southport (2002–03) Aberystwyth Town (2003–04) The New Saints (2004–06) Newtown (2007–08) Rhyl (2008) Porthmadog (2008–09) Airbus UK Broughton (2009–10)
3	Washington	Brazil	214	Ponte Preta (2001–02) Fenerbahçe (2002–03) Athletico Paranaense (2004) Tokyo Verdy (2005) Urawa Red Diamonds (2006-07) Fluminense (2008; 2010) São Paulo (2009-10)
4	Rhys Griffiths	Wales	198	Cwmbrân Town (2001–02) Haverfordwest County (2002–04) Carmarthen Town (2004) Port Talbot Town (2004–06) Llanelli Town (2006–10)
5	Thierry Henry	France	182	Arsenal (2001–07) Barcelona (2007–10)
6	Magno Alves	Brazil	182	Fluminense (2001–02) Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (2003) Oita Trinita (2004-05) Gamba Osaka (2006–07) Ittihad Club (2007-08) Umm Salal (2008-10)
7	Maksim Gruznov	Estonia	180	Narva Trans (2001–08) Sillamäe Kalev (2009-10)

The World's Best Top Division Goal Scorer of the Second Decade (2011–2020)

The final list includes the 36 players who scored 150 or more goals in top-tier national leagues in the period of time from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2020.

The results were posted on the IFFHS' official website on 6 January 2021.^[135]

Players with at least 200 goals

Rank	Player	Nation	Goals	Club(s)
1	Lionel Messi	Argentina	346	Barcelona (2011–20)
2	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	332	Real Madrid (2011–18) Juventus (2018–20)
3	Robert Lewandowski	Poland	248	Borussia Dortmund (2011–14) Bayern Munich (2014–20)
4	Zlatan Ibrahimović	Sweden	236	Milan (2011–12; 2019–20) Paris Saint-Germain (2012–16) Manchester United (2016–18) LA Galaxy (2018–19)
5	Luis Suárez	Uruguay	224	Liverpool (2011–14) Barcelona (2014–20) Atlético Madrid (2020)
6	Carlos Saucedo	Bolivia	213	San José (2012–13; 2017–19) Saprissa (2014) Oriente Petrolero (2015) Blooming (2015–16) Real Potosí (2016) Guabirá (2017) Royal Pari (2020)
7	Edinson Cavani	Uruguay	209	Napoli (2011–13) Paris Saint-Germain (2013–20) Manchester United (2020)

Lucie Martínková was the top women's goal scorer for club in 2021.

Women's winners

The women's award was introduced in 2021.

Year	Winner	Club	Goals
2021	Lucie Martínková[136]	Sparta Prague	38
2022	Mia Fishel[137]	UANL	33
2023	Charlyn Corral[138]	Pachuca	34
2024	Charlyn Corral[139]	Pachuca	42

The World's Most Effective Top Division Goal Scorer

Masashi Nakayama is the only Japanese player to win the award.

This award was given annually from 1997 to 2004 to the player with the best goal ratio (goals/matches played) in a league season in any of the top 60 leagues in the world (as ranked by IFFHS for that given year).

Men's winners

Year	Winner	Club	Ratio
1997	Hakan Şükür[140]	Galatasaray	1.188
1998	Masashi Nakayama[141]	Júbilo Iwata	1.276
1999	Mário Jardel[142]	Porto	1.125
2000	Hamzah Idris[143]	Al Ittihad	1.320
2001	Romário[144]	Vasco da Gama	1.167
2002	Mário Jardel[145]	Sporting CP	1.400
2003	José Cardozo[146]	Toluca	1.381
2004	Shuhrat Mirkholdirshoev[147]	Navbahor Namangan	1.192

The World Team

Main article: IFFHS World Team

Sergio Ramos made four appearances in the World Team since 2017.

Men's winners

In 2017, IFFHS started to nominate a world team of the year.^[148]

Multiple appearances (2017–present)^[149]

Player	Apps	Years
Lionel Messi	7	2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Kevin De Bruyne	6	2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo	5	2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Alphonso Davies	5	2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Sergio Ramos	4	2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Kylian Mbappé	4	2018, 2021, 2022, 2023
Luka Modrić	3	2017, 2018, 2022
Rúben Dias	3	2021, 2023, 2024
Erling Haaland	3	2022, 2023, 2024
Marcelo	2	2017, 2018
Trent Alexander-Arnold	2	2019, 2020
Virgil van Dijk	2	2019, 2020
Leonardo Bonucci	2	2017, 2021
Robert Lewandowski	2	2020, 2021
Thibaut Courtois	2	2018, 2022
Achraf Hakimi	2	2021, 2022
Toni Kroos	2	2017, 2024
Rodri	2	2023, 2024
Jude Bellingham	2	2023, 2024

19th Century Men's Dream Team (2021)

The XI covers the 1863-1900 period.

Steve Bloomer was selected as right inside forward for the All-time Men's Dream Team of the XIX Century.

Continent	Goalkeeper	Defenders	Midfielders	Forwards
World[150]	James Trainer	Robert Holmes Walter Arnott	Neilly Gibson James Cowan Ernest Needham	Steve Bloomer John Goodall William Bassett Gilbert Oswald Smith John Bell

20th Century Men's Dream Team (2000)

The XIs cover the 1901-2000 period.

Bobby Moore was selected as one of the three defenders in the XX Century World XI.

Continent	Goalkeeper	Defenders	Midfielders	Forwards
World[151]	Lev Yashin	Bobby Moore Franz Beckenbauer Franco Baresi	Lothar Matthaus Michel Platini Diego Maradona Johan Cruyff	Ferenc Puskas Pelé Alfredo Di Stefano
Europe[152]	Lev Yashin	Bobby Moore Franz Beckenbauer Franco Baresi	Bobby Charlton Michel Platini Johan Cruyff Lothar Matthaus	Ferenc Puskas Gerd Müller Eusebio
South America[153]	Amadeo Carrizo	Carlos Alberto Torres Elías Figueroa Daniel Passarella Nilton Santos	Didi Diego Maradona Zico	Alfredo Di Stéfano Pelé Garrincha
CONCACAF[154]	Antonio Carbajal	Ramon Ramirez Gustavo Pena Marcelo Balboa Claudio Suarez	Thomas Dooley Bryan Ruiz Raúl Cárdenas	Julio Dely Valdés Hugo Sánchez Carlos Hermosillo
Africa[155]	Thomas N'Kono	Samuel Kuffour Hany Ramzy Noureddine Naybet Taribo West	Lakhdar Belloumi Finidi George Abedi Pele	Roger Milla George Weah Rabah Madjer
Asia[156]	Mohamed Al-Deayea	Yasuhiko Okudera Hong Myung-bo Yasuhiko Okudera	Kazuyoshi Miura Ali Parvin Kim Joo-sung Saeed Al-Owairan	Majed Abdullah Ali Daei Cha Bum-kun
Oceania[157]	Mark Bosnich	Joe Marston Milan Ivanovic Antoine Kombouare Alan Davidson	Ned Zelic Paul Okon Robert Slater	John Kosmina Frank Farina Wynton Rufer

All-time Men's Dream Team (2021)

The XIs published by IFFHS cover the 1901-2020 period.

Lev Yashin was selected as the goalkeeper for the All-time Men's Dream Team as well as the Men Team of the Century, both times for the World's and Europe's first team.

The Argentine Diego Maradona was part of the World and South America team.

Continent	Goalkeeper	Defenders	Midfielders	Forwards
World[158]	Lev Yashin	Cafu Franz Beckenbauer Franco Baresi Paolo Maldini	Xavi Diego Maradona Johan Cruyff	Cristiano Ronaldo Pelé Lionel Messi
World B[158]	Gianluigi Buffon	Carlos Alberto Torres Bobby Moore Daniel Passarella Roberto Carlos	Lothar Matthäus Zinedine Zidane Michel Platini	Ronaldo Gerd Müller Alfredo Di Stéfano
Europe[159]	Lev Yashin	Philipp Lahm Franz Beckenbauer Franco Baresi Paolo Maldini	Xavi Zinedine Zidane Michel Platini	Johan Cruyff Gerd Müller Cristiano Ronaldo
South America[160]	Amadeo Carrizo	Cafu Elías Figueroa Daniel Passarella Roberto Carlos	Didi Diego Maradona Zico	Alfredo Di Stéfano Pelé Lionel Messi
CONCACAF[161]	Antonio Carbajal	Carlos Salcedo Claudio Suárez Rafael Márquez	Andrés Guardado Bryan Ruiz Raúl Cárdenas Luis de la Fuente	Julio Dely Valdés Hugo Sánchez Clint Dempsey
Africa[162]	Thomas N'Kono	Samuel Kuffour Rigobert Song Noureddine Naybet	Yaya Touré Nwankwo Kanu Jay-Jay Okocha Abedi Pele	Samuel Eto'o George Weah Didier Drogba
Asia[163]	Mohamed Al-Deayea	Mehdi Mahdavikia Hong Myung-bo Yasuhiko Okudera	Wu Lei Shinji Kagawa Mile Jedinak Park Ji-sung	Son Heung-min Majed Abdullah Cha Bum-kun
Oceania[164]	Stefan Marinovic	Ryan Nelsen Tommy Smith Winston Reid	Ryan Thomas Steve Sumner Marco Rojas Roy Krishna	Rory Fallon Chris Wood Wynton Rufer

Dzsenifer Marozsán shares the third place for most appearances in the Women World Team (4) with Alex Morgan, behind Lucy Bronze (5) and Wendie Renard (7).

Women's winners

In 2017, IFFHS started to nominate a world team of the year.^[165]

Multiple appearances (2017–present)^[166]

Player	Apps	Years
Wendie Renard	7	2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Lucy Bronze	5	2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022
Dzsenifer Marozsán	4	2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Alex Morgan		2017, 2018, 2019, 2022
Aitana Bonmatí		2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Sarah Bouhaddi	3	2017, 2018, 2020
Pernille Harder		2017, 2018, 2020
Sam Kerr		2017, 2021, 2023
Christiane Endler	2	2021, 2022
Ada Hegerberg		2018, 2019
Amandine Henry		2018, 2019
Jennifer Hermoso		2021, 2023
Saki Kumagai		2018, 2020
Lieke Martens		2017, 2021
Lena Oberdorf		2022, 2023
Alexandra Popp		2020, 2022
Alexia Putellas		2021, 2022
Caroline Graham Hansen		2021, 2024
Salma Paralluelo		2023, 2024

All-time Women's Dream Team (2021)

Hope Solo was selected in the World and CONCACAF All-time Women's Dream Team.

Homare Sawa was selected in the World and Asia All-time Women's Dream Team.

Continent	Goalkeeper	Defenders	Midfielders	Forwards
World[167]	Hope Solo	Lucy Bronze Wendie Renard Christie Pearce Joy Fawcett	Dzsenifer Marozsán Homare Sawa Marta	Megan Rapinoe Ada Hegerberg Alex Morgan
World B[167]	Nadine Angerer	Ariane Hingst Nilla Fischer Saki Kumagai Hege Riise	Michelle Akers Kristine Lilly Formiga	Abby Wambach Carli Lloyd Birgit Prinz
Europe[168]	Nadine Angerer	Lucy Bronze Wendie Renard Nilla Fischer Linda Medalen	Nadine Keßler Dzsenifer Marozsán Camille Abily	Lotta Schelin Ada Hegerberg Birgit Prinz
South America[169]	Christiane Endler	Fabiana Aline Elane Tamires	Formiga Sissi Roseli	Pretinha Cristiane Marta
CONCACAF[170]	Hope Solo	Kelley O'Hara Joy Fawcett Christie Pearce Ali Krieger	Shirley Cruz Carli Lloyd Megan Rapinoe	Abby Wambach Mia Hamm Alex Morgan
Africa[171]	Annette Ngo Ndom	Onome Ebi Janine van Wyk Florence Omagbeni Ngozi Ezeocha	Perpetua Nkwocha Mercy Akide Gabrielle Onguéné	Gaëlle Enganamouit Asisat Oshoala Tabitha Chawinga
Asia[172]	Lydia Williams	Ellie Carpenter Cheryl Salisbury Saki Kumagai Fan Yunjie	Homare Sawa Ji So-yun Aya Miyama	Liu Ailing Samantha Kerr Sun Wen
Oceania[173]	Erin Nayler	Rebekah Stott Rebecca Smith Abby Erceg	Ria Percival Hayley Bowden Katie Duncan Betsy Hassett	Ali Riley Amber Hearn Sarah Gregorius

The World Youth (U20) Team

Eduardo Camavinga is one of only three players to have appeared three times in the Men's World Youth (U20) Team, the others are Jamal Musiala and Jude Bellingham.

The award was introduced in 2020.

Men's winners

Multiple appearances (2020–present)^{[174][175][176][177][178]}

Player	Apps	Years
Eduardo Camavinga	3	2020, 2021, 2022
Jude Bellingham		2021, 2022, 2023
Jamal Musiala		2021, 2022, 2023
Rodrygo	2	2020, 2021
Ansu Fati		2020, 2022
Pedri		2021, 2022
Nuno Mendes		2021, 2022
Gavi		2022, 2023
Warren Zaïre-Emery		2023, 2024
Alejandro Garnacho		2023, 2024

Linda Caicedo is the only player to have appeared four times in the Women's World Youth (U20) Team.

Women's winners

Multiple appearances (2020–present)^{[179][180][181][182][183]}

Player	Apps	Years
Linda Caicedo	4	2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
Melchie Dumornay	3	2021, 2022, 2023
Vicky López		2022, 2023, 2024
Cata Coll	2	2020, 2021
Lena Oberdorf		2020, 2021
Mary Fowler		2021, 2023
Meritxell Font		2022, 2023
Andrea Medina		2022, 2023
Salma Paralluelo		2022, 2023
Tarciane		2022, 2023

The World's Best Club Coach

Main article: IFFHS World's Best Club Coach

José Mourinho, World's Best Club Coach with three different clubs (Porto, Chelsea and Real Madrid).

Men's winners

Multiple winners (1996–present)^[184]

Coach	Wins	Years
José Mourinho	4	2004, 2005, 2010, 2012
Carlo Ancelotti		2007, 2014, 2022, 2024
Pep Guardiola	3	2009, 2011, 2023
Marcello Lippi	2	1996, 1998
Ottmar Hitzfeld		1997, 2001
Carlos Bianchi		2000, 2003
Alex Ferguson		1999, 2008
Zinedine Zidane		2017, 2018

Sonia Bompastor, first person to win the UEFA Women's Champions League as both a player and a manager.

Women's winners

Year	Winner	Club
2020	Jean-Luc Vasseur[185]	Lyon
2021	Lluís Cortés[186]	Barcelona
2022	Sonia Bompastor[187]	Lyon
2023	Jonatan Giráldez[188]	Barcelona
2024	Jonatan Giráldez[189]	Barcelona

The World's Best National Coach

Main article: IFFHS World's Best National Coach

Joachim Löw, World's Best National Coach with Germany in 2014 and 2017.

Men's winners

Multiple winners (1996–present)^[190]

Coach	Wins	Years
Vicente del Bosque	4	2009, 2010, 2012, 2013
Joachim Löw	2	2014, 2017
Fernando Santos		2016, 2019
Didier Deschamps		2018, 2020
Lionel Scaloni		2022, 2023

Sarina Wiegman, World's Best National Coach for Netherlands and England.

Women's winners

Year	Winner	National team
2020	Sarina Wiegman[191]	Netherlands
2021	Bev Priestman[192]	Canada
2022	Sarina Wiegman[193]	England
2023	Sarina Wiegman[194]	England
2024	Emma Hayes[195]	United States

The World's Best Referee

Felix Brych, World's Best Referee in 2017 and 2021.

Men's winners

Felix Brych was awarded the prize for Men's Referee of the Decade 2011–20.

Year	Winner
1987	Romualdo Filho[196]
1988	Michel Vautrot[196]
1989	Michel Vautrot[196]
1990	José Roberto Wright[196]
1991	Peter Mikkelsen[196]
1992	Aron Schmidhuber[196]
1993	Peter Mikkelsen[196]
1994	Sándor Puhl[196]
1995	Sándor Puhl[196]
1996	Sándor Puhl[196]
1997	Sándor Puhl[196]
1998	Pierluigi Collina[196]
1999	Pierluigi Collina[196]
2000	Pierluigi Collina[196]
2001	Pierluigi Collina[196]
2002	Pierluigi Collina[196]
2003	Pierluigi Collina[196]
2004	Markus Merk[196]
2005	Markus Merk[196]
2006	Horacio Elizondo[196]
2007	Markus Merk[196]
2008	Roberto Rosetti[196]
2009	Massimo Busacca[196]
2010	Howard Webb[196]
2011	Viktor Kassai[196]
2012	Pedro Proença[196]
2013	Howard Webb[196]
2014	Nicola Rizzoli[196]
2015	Nicola Rizzoli[196]
2016	Mark Clattenburg[196]
2017	Felix Brych[196]
2018	Néstor Pitana[196]
2019	Damir Skomina[196]
2020	Daniele Orsato[196]
2021	Felix Brych[196]
2022	Szymon Marciniak[197]
2023	Szymon Marciniak[198]
2024	François Letexier[199]

Multiple winners (1987–present)^{[196][197][198]}

Referee	Wins	Years
Pierluigi Collina	6	1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
Sándor Puhl	4	1994, 1995, 1996, 1997
Markus Merk	3	2004, 2005, 2007
Michel Vautrot	2	1988, 1989
Peter Mikkelsen		1991, 1993
Howard Webb		2010, 2013
Nicola Rizzoli		2014, 2015
Felix Brych		2017, 2021
Szymon Marciniak		2022, 2023

Stéphanie Frappart, World's Best Referee for five years in a row.

Women's winners

Bibiana Steinhaus was awarded the prize for Women's Referee of the Decade 2011–20.

Year	Winner
2012	Jenny Palmqvist[200]
2013	Bibiana Steinhaus[200]
2014	Bibiana Steinhaus[200]
2015	Kateryna Monzul[200]
2016	Katalin Kulcsar[200]
2017	Bibiana Steinhaus[200]
2018	Bibiana Steinhaus[200]
2019	Stéphanie Frappart[200]
2020	Stéphanie Frappart[200]
2021	Stéphanie Frappart[200]
2022	Stéphanie Frappart[201]
2023	Stéphanie Frappart[202]
2024	Rebecca Welch[203]

Multiple winners (2012–present)^{[200][201][202]}

Referee	Wins	Years
Stéphanie Frappart	5	2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Bibiana Steinhaus	4	2013, 2014, 2017, 2018