Lev Ivanovich Yashin was a Soviet professional footballer, regarded by many as the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the sport. He was known for his athleticism, positioning, imposing presence in goal, and acrobatic reflex saves. He was also deputy chairman of the Football Federation of the Soviet Union.
Franz Anton Beckenbauer was a German professional football player, manager, and official. Nicknamed der Kaiser, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and is one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Champions Cup, and the Ballon d'Or. Beckenbauer was a versatile player who started out as a midfielder, but made his name as a central defender. He is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper.
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for some time but, in 2010, relocated to Bonn, Germany, and then in 2014 to Zürich.
Kim Joo-sung is a former South Korean football player. Kim is regarded as one of the greatest Asian footballers of the 20th century. He was nominated for the IFFHS Asia's Player of the Century, finishing second place.
Keilor Antonio Navas Gamboa, known as Keylor Navas, is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Costa Rica national team.
Chow Chee Keong was a Malaysian football goalkeeper who played in Hong Kong.
Alexandra Morgan Carrasco is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker. She is the captain of San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of women's professional soccer in the United States, and the United States women's national soccer team. She co-captained the United States women's national soccer team with Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe from 2018 to 2020.
Shirley Cruz Traña is a retired Costa Rican professional footballer who last played as a midfielder for Alajuelense of the Costa Rican Women's Premier Division and the Costa Rica women's national football team. A creative midfielder who often acts as a deep-lying playmaker, Cruz is the second-ever female footballer behind Gabriela Trujillo from Costa Rica to play in Europe when she joined Lyon in 2005.
Wendie Thérèse Renard is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back and captains both Division 1 club Lyon and the France national team.
The IFFHS World's Best Club Coach is an association football award given annually, since 1996, to the most outstanding club coach as voted by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), an autonomous football federation working without the investment or support of FIFA or UEFA. The votes in 1996 were cast by IFFHS's editorial staff, as well as experts from 89 countries spanning six continents. Since then, the votes have been now awarded by 81 experts and selected editorial offices from all of the continents. In 2020, an award for women's club coaches was introduced. The current men's recipient is Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola. The current women's recipient is Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez.
The IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper is a football award given annually since 1987 to the best goalkeeper of the year as voted by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). The votes are cast by IFFHS's editorial staff as well as experts from different continents.
Kadeisha Buchanan is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a centre-back for English Women's Super League club Chelsea and the Canada women's national team. Born in Toronto and raised in Brampton, Ontario, she is the youngest of seven girls in a single-parent home. Buchanan was only 17 when she made her debut for the national team on January 13, 2013.
Stéphanie Frappart is a French football referee. She has been on the FIFA International Referees List since 2009, and has refereed several high-profile matches.
Florence Omagbemi is a Nigerian former football midfielder. She was part of the Nigeria women's national football team across four FIFA Women's World Cups, several Africa Women Cup of Nations and at the 2000 Summer Olympics. In 2016, she was named interim coach of the national side, having previously been an assistant coach to the Nigeria women's national under-20 football team.
The IFFHS World's Best National Coach is an association football award given annually, since 1996, to the most outstanding national team coach as voted by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). The votes, in 1996, were cast by IFFHS's editorial staff as well as experts from 89 countries spanning six different continents. Since then, the votes are now awarded by 81 experts and selected editorial offices from all the continents. In 2020, an award for women's national team coaches was introduced. The current men's recipient is Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni. The current women's recipient is the England manager Sarina Wiegman.
The IFFHS World's Best Player is a football award given annually from 1988 to 1990, and since 2020, to the world's best player. The award is given by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).
The IFFHS World's Best International Goal Scorer is a football award given annually since 1991 to the world's top international goalscorer in the calendar year. The award is given by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).
The IFFHS World's Best Top Goal Scorer is a football award given annually since 2020, and retroactively for the years 2011 to 2019, to the world's top goalscorer in the calendar year. The award is given by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).
The IFFHS World's Best Club is a football award given annually since 1991 to the world's best club. The award is given by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), the entity has also produced a monthly Club World Ranking.
María Eugenia Rubio Ríos, also called La Peque, is a retired footballer who played as a forward for the unofficial Mexico women's national football team at the 1970 and 1971 Women's World Cups. In 2018, she became the first Mexican woman inducted into the International Football Hall of Fame in Pachuca, Mexico. In 1999, she was named the eighth best woman player in Concacaf during the 20th century.
Lionel Messi 
