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- 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
Dubai, UAE: 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 the official voting page: vote.globesoccer.com
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About Dubai Sports Council
Founded on November 30, 2005, following a decree by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Sports Council is the official body responsible for the development of the sports sector in the Emirate. Today, under the guidance of its Chairman, His Highness Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the DSC organises and supports more than 400 events annually - not just top-notch sporting extravaganzas, but also awards and conferences that promote excellence, creativity and innovation in the world of sports. The Council supervises the work of Dubai’s seven local sports clubs and also takes active interest in encouraging the practice of physical activity in society, especially among women and children, through programs and activities designed to create awareness about the importance of sport and physical activity, and to make it a way of life for the community.
The DSC’s mandate, though, is not just to promote sport, create awareness and nurture talent, but to also support creativity and reward excellence, among both individuals and organisations and help Dubai become a land of health, happiness and vitality. It has organised many international conferences and symposiums since 2006, including the annual Dubai International Sports Conference, to enhance the knowledge and culture of professionalism, and has brought some of the biggest names from the world of sports here to share their vision and thoughts. The Council also seeks to develop the sports industry in the UAE and the world through initiatives like the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, and it organises many major international sports championships as well in cooperation with multiple sports bodies.
About Globe Soccer
Founded by Tommaso Bendoni and co-owned by Riccardo Silva, Globe Soccer is a Dubai-based football organisation that since 2010 has coordinated one of the most eagerly awaited and coveted awards ceremonies on the footballing calendar: The Dubai Globe Soccer Awards. Attracting high-profile attendees each year, the international event is unique in that it recognises and rewards all stakeholders in the game, from players to chairmen, fans to agents, directors to referees. Global reach has grown year-on-year, with the 2022 event proving no exception, surpassing all previous records with the number of awards increasing to 21, fan votes exceeding 47 million, and social media followers passing 6.5 million.
- Instagram: @globesoccer
- Twitter: @Globe_Soccer
- Facebook: @globesoccer
- TikTok: @globesoccer
- YouTube: Globe Soccer Awards
For further information, please contact:
Globe Soccer
Sean Gallagher
Email: DubaiGlobeSoccerAwards@ActionPRGroup.com or sean.g@actionprgroup.com
Mobile: +971 58 516 7041
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 Fernández 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 |
GLOBE SOCCER DIGITAL AWARDS
Nominees 2023
| 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 |
