The title Footballer of the Year has been awarded in Germany since 1960. In 1996, the title Women's Footballer of the Year was awarded for the first time. Both awards are determined by a poll of German football journalists from the Association of German Sports Journalists and the publication kicker. Eligible are German players abroad and players in Germany.
Marco Rose is a German professional football manager and former player who currently manages Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach. As a player, he played as a defender for the likes of Lokomotive Leipzig, Hannover 96 and Mainz. Later he coached Mainz 05 second team, then Lokomotive Leipzig, before going through the ranks at Red Bull Salzburg.
Manuel Peter Neuer is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and captains both Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. Peter Staunton of Goal.com labelled him as "the best goalkeeper since Yashin," who is currently still the only goalkeeper ever to have won the Ballon d'Or. Neuer has been described as a "sweeper-keeper" because of his unique playing style and speed when rushing off his line to anticipate opponents.
Toni Kroos is a German professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Germany national team. Kroos plays mainly as a central midfielder, but is also used as a defensive midfielder or deep-lying playmaker. He is known for his vision, creativity, passing, and set-piece ability, and is widely considered to be one of the best midfielders in the world.
The Luxembourgian Footballer of the Year is an award granted every season to a football player from Luxembourg's domestic top-flight National Division, rewarding the player judged to have been the most valuable to his team that season. It is awarded by the sports desk of d'Wort, Luxembourg's most-read daily newspaper. It has been awarded every year since 1988, and has been named the Guy Greffrath Challenge after Guy Greffrath, the long-time sports editor at d'Wort, since 1997.
Jürgen Norbert Klopp is a German professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Liverpool. He is widely regarded as one of the best managers in the world.
Adolf "Adi" Hütter is an Austrian professional football coach and former player who is the current head coach of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt. As a player, Hütter reached the 1993–94 UEFA Cup final, won the Austrian championship three times with Austria Salzburg and won the Austrian Cup with Grazer AK. As a coach, he won the Austrian double, again in Salzburg colors, as well as the Swiss championship, with Young Boys.
Marco Reus is a German professional footballer who plays for and captains Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national team.
Yuya Osako is a Japanese professional footballer who plays for Werder Bremen and the Japan national team as a forward.
Thomas Tuchel is a German professional football coach and former player. He is the head coach of Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.
David Olatukunbo Alaba is an Austrian professional footballer who plays for German club Bayern Munich and the Austria national team. A very versatile player, Alaba has played in a multitude of roles, including central midfield, central defence, right and left wing, but primarily plays as a left-back.
The Swiss Footballer of the Year is an annual award given to the best footballer based in Switzerland and the best Swiss national team player.
Rouven Kai Sattelmaier is a German former professional footballer who played as goalkeeper. He works as goalkeeper coach of SG Sonnenhof Großaspach.
Dzsenifer Marozsán is a footballer who plays professionally for Olympique Lyonnais in France and the German national team. She previously played for 1. FC Saarbrücken and 1. FFC Frankfurt in Germany's Frauen Bundesliga.
Lars Unnerstall is a German footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.
Pernille Mosegaard Harder is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a forward for English FA Women's Super League club Chelsea and the Danish national team. In September 2020, she became the world's most expensive female footballer following her transfer from Wolfsburg to Chelsea.
Jonas Armin Hector is a German professional footballer who plays as a left back for Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln and the Germany national team.
Julian Nagelsmann is a German professional football coach who is the manager of Bundesliga club RB Leipzig.
The Vereinigung der Vertragsfussballspieler e. V. (VDV) is the professional footballer's union in Germany. It has approximately 1,300 members, playing in the German professional leagues. Nowadays, it is possible that junior footballers at the beginning of their professional careers, can also be members from the age of fifteen. Footballers who have been playing abroad or having finished their career can stay members.
