EUROPEAN FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR
This award begun in 1956 by France Football magazine. Before 1995 only European players playing in Europe were eligible but since then non-European players have also been declared eligible. The results in 2000 are:
RANK | NAME | NATIONALITY |
VOTES |
1 | Luis Figo | Portugal | 197 |
2 | Zinedine Zidane | France | 181 |
3 | Andrii Shevchenko | Ukraine | 85 |
4 | Thierry Henry | France | 51 |
5 | Alessandro Nesta | Italy | 39 |
Rivaldo | Brazil | 39 | |
7 | Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina | 26 |
8 | Gaizka Mendieta | Spain | 22 |
9 | Raul | Spain | 18 |
10 | David Beckham | England | 10 |
Luis Figo won this award after his impressive showing at Euro 2000. Zidane came second for the same reason. Previous winners of the award are:
YEAR | NAME | NATIONALITY |
1956 | Stanley Matthews | England |
1957 | Alfredo Di Stefano | Spain |
1958 | Raymond Kopa | France |
1959 | Alfredo Di Stefano | Spain |
1960 | Luis Suarez | Spain |
1961 | Omar Sivori | Italy |
1962 | Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia |
1963 | Lev Yashin | USSR |
1964 | Denis Law | Scotland |
1965 | Eusebio | Portugal |
1966 | Bobby Charlton | England |
1967 | Florian Albert | Hungary |
1968 | George Best | Northern Ireland |
1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy |
1970 | Gerd Muller | Germany |
1971 | Johan Cruyff | Holland |
1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | Germany |
1973 | Johan Cruyff | Holland |
1974 | Johan Cruyff | Holland |
1975 | Oleg Blokhim | USSR |
1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | Germany |
1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark |
1978 | Kevin Keegan | England |
1979 | Kevin Keegan | England |
1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Germany |
1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Germany |
1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy |
1983 | Michel Platini | France |
1984 | Michel Platini | France |
1985 | Michel Platini | France |
1986 | Igor Belanov | USSR |
1987 | Ruud Gullit | Holland |
1988 | Marco Van Basten | Holland |
1989 | Marco Van Basten | Holland |
1990 | Lothar Matthaus | Germany |
1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | France |
1992 | Marco Van Basten | Holland |
1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy |
1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria |
1995 | George Weah | Liberia |
1996 | Matthias Sammer | Germany |
1997 | Ronaldo | Brazil |
1998 | Zinedine Zidane | France |
1999 | Rivaldo | Brazil |
Click here to go to the 1999 European Footballer of the Year
Click here to go back to the awards page