MADRID, 27 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Argentine Lionel Scaloni and the Dutch Sarina Wiegman, in the category of coach and trainer, and the also Argentine Emiliano Martínez and the English Mary Earps, in the goalkeeper and goalkeeper category, were other of the winners this Monday with ‘The Best ‘ of FIFA.
At a gala held in Paris and started with a heartfelt tribute to the figure of the late Edson Arantes do Nascimento, ‘Pelé’, these awards were practically a celebration of Argentine and English football, which almost all the main ones won, with Alexia Putellas avoiding the English women’s treble.
Thus, Argentina was awarded the conquest in Qatar last December of its third World Cup, the first in 36 years, with the achievement of the three individual ‘The Best’ in the men’s category since the one achieved by Leo Messi was those of Lionel Scaloni and Emiliano Martínez joined.
The Argentine coach was the favorite for the award for having directed the ‘Albiceleste’ to the star and beat the Italian Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach who won his fourth Champions League with the Madrid team and became the first to win the league title in five different countries, and the Spanish Pep Guardiola, coach of English Manchester City.
In the ‘Best Goalkeeper’ category, ‘Dibu’ Martínez was the winner after his great performance in the last World Cup, with key saves in the final and in the penalty shootouts that his team had to experience, which allowed him to overcome in the voting the Belgian Thibaut Courtois, vital in Real Madrid’s conquest of the Champions League, and the Moroccan Yassine Bono, one of the important players who allowed Morocco to make history with its World Cup semifinals.
At the female level, the best coach was the Dutch Sarina Wiegman, the England coach who made history with her continental title and who achieved her third ‘The Best’ in this category after those achieved in 2017 and 2020 when she led her country. The French Sonia Bompastor, coach of the French Olympique Lyon that won the Champions League, and the Swedish Pia Sundhage, Brazil coach.
As for the best goalkeeper, the award went to Manchester goalkeeper Mary Earps, who was part of the England team that won EURO 2022 and conceded only two goals. The British surpassed the Chilean Christiane Endler, from Olympique Lyon, and the German, the German Ann-Katrin Berger, from Chelsea.
Finally, the ‘Puskas’ Award for the best goal of 2022 went to the Polish Marcin Oleksy, with the peculiarity of having scored it in a league in his country for amputee footballers and who lost his left leg in a work accident.