In team sports, a most valuable player award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or on a specific team. The purpose of the award is to recognize the contribution of the individual's efforts amongst a group effort, and to highlight the excellence, exemplariness, and/or outstandingness of a player's performance amidst the performance of their peers in question.
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's international governing body. The competition has been held every four years and one year after the men's FIFA World Cup since 1991, when the inaugural tournament, then called the FIFA Women's World Championship, was held in China. Under the tournament's current format, national teams vie for the remaining 31 slots in a three-year qualification phase. The host nation's team is automatically entered as the first slot. The tournament, called the World Cup Finals, is contested at venues within the host nation(s) over about one month.
The CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship, is the top men's football tournament contested among national teams from South America. It is the oldest still-running continental football competition, as well as the third most watched in the world. The competition determines the champions of South America. Since the 1990s, teams from North America and Asia have also been invited to compete.
The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award presented by French magazine France Football since 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.
The SM-liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, but the league and association have an agreement of cooperation. SM is a common abbreviation for Suomen mestaruus, "Finnish championship".
The 37th Chess Olympiad, organized by FIDE and comprising an open and a women's tournament, as well as several other events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between May 20 and June 4, 2006, in Turin, Italy. There were 148 teams in the open event and 103 in the women's event. In total, 1307 players were registered.
Scott Pendlebury is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He served as Collingwood captain from 2014 to 2022. Pendlebury is a dual premiership player, also winning the Norm Smith Medal as best on ground in the 2010 grand final replay, and was the AFLCA champion player of the year in 2013. He is a six-time All-Australian and five-time Copeland Trophy winner, and is the Collingwood games record holder with 394 games. Pendlebury is also the league record holder for disposals, handballs and tackles.
The 2002 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to Ronaldo on 12 December 2002. This was Ronaldo's second Ballon d'Or, his first award was in 1997.
The China TV Golden Eagle Award, commonly known in China as the Golden Eagle Awards, is one of three main national award ceremonies recognising excellence in the Chinese television industry. The award is presented by the China Television Artists Association. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious television awards, alongside the Feitian Awards and Magnolia Awards. The Golden Eagle Award is biennial, with the ceremony held on alternate years from the Feitian Awards since 2005.
The Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award is an annual award in the National Basketball Association (NBA) that recognizes the league's "ideal teammate" who exemplifies "selfless play and commitment and dedication to his team." The award is named after Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes. The two played together on the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals from 1955 to 1958 until Stokes' career was cut short after he suffered a head injury from a fall during a game against the Minneapolis Lakers. Stokes later became paralyzed due to post-traumatic encephalopathy, a brain injury that damages the motor-control center. Twyman then became Stokes' legal guardian and advocate until Stokes died in 1970.
Best Footballer in Asia is an annual association football award organized and presented by Titan Sports. It is awarded to the player who had the best performance for Asian football during the previous calendar year.
The 2014 Best Footballer in Asia, given to the best football player in Asia as judged by a panel of sports journalists, was awarded to Son Heung-min on 28 November 2014.
The 2015 Best Footballer in Asia, given to the best football player in Asia as judged by a panel of 20 sports journalists, was awarded to Son Heung-min on 28 December 2015. Son became the first player to win the award on multiple occasions, and the first player to win the award consecutively.
The 2016 Best Footballer in Asia, given to the best football player in Asia as judged by a panel of 38 sports journalists, was awarded to Shinji Okazaki on 26 December 2016.
The 2017 Best Footballer in Asia, given to the best football player in Asia as judged by a panel of 42 sports journalists, was awarded to Son Heung-min on 5 January 2018. Son thus became the first footballer who had won the award for three times.
The Best Footballer in Asia award recognizes the best male footballer in Asia. Son Heung-min received the 6th annual award on 4 January 2019 for his play during the 2018 season. The event was judged by a panel of 44 sports journalists, and Son Heung-min won four of the six awards presented.
The Best Footballer in Asia 2019, recognizing the best male footballer in Asia in 2019, is the 7th edition of the Best Footballer in Asia, presented by Titan Sports. Son Heung-min won the award on 3 January 2020. It was his 3rd Best Footballer in Asia title in a row, and the 5th in the previous 6 years. The event was judged by a panel of 51 sports journalists. With 31.6% of all points awarded, Son Heung-min achieved the highest tally of Best Footballer in Asia in history at the time.
The Best Footballer in Asia 2020, recognizing the best male footballer in Asia in 2020, is the 8th edition of the Best Footballer in Asia, presented by Titan Sports. Son Heung-min won the award on 4 January 2021. It was his 4rd Best Footballer in Asia title in a row, and the 5th in the previous 6 years. The event was judged by a panel of 51 sports journalists. Son Heung-min received 45 1st-place votes and 4 2nd-place votes. With 35% of all points awarded, Son achieved the highest tally of Best Footballer in Asia in history at the time.
The Best Footballer in Asia 2021, recognizing the best male footballer in Asia in 2021, is the 9th edition of the Best Footballer in Asia. Son Heung-min claimed the award on 3rd January 2022. It was his 5st Best Footballer in Asia title in a row, and the 7th title overall. The event was judged by a panel of 50 sports journalists.
The Best Footballer in Asia 2022, recognizing the best male footballer in Asia in 2022, was the 10th edition of the Best Footballer in Asia. Son Heung-min claimed the award on 6 February 2023. It was his sixth Best Footballer in Asia title in a row, and eighth title overall. The event was judged by a panel of sixty sports journalists. Son received thirty first-place votes, fifteen second-place votes, two third-place votes, four fourth-place votes, five fifth-place votes and finished on 256 points in total.
