- Wiegman tops vote ahead of finalists Bompastor and Sundhage
- Winner revealed at Paris ceremony on 27 February 2023
- Dutch coach won Women’s EURO 2022 with England
Sarina Wiegman has won The Best FIFA Women’s Coach award for the third time. Wiegman has been recognised with the distinguished honour after guiding England to UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 glory.
Wiegman came out on top in the voting ahead of Lyon boss Sonia Bompastor and Brazil head coach Pia Sundhage. Wiegman, who also took the prize in 2017 and 2020 when in charge of the Netherlands women’s national team, was announced as the winner at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022™.
The accolade was voted for by national team coaches and captains as well as expert journalists and supporters across the world.
The winner in focus…
Wiegman wrote her name into English football folklore by leading the Lionesses to a maiden major tournament victory at the Women’s EURO 2022.
Wiegman, who masterminded the Netherlands’ EURO triumph in 2017, implemented a dynamic style of play which allowed England’s wealth of exciting talents to flourish. The Lionesses scored 22 goals across their six matches at the tournament and conceded just twice.
When they weren’t sweeping aside opponents with their vibrant attacking play, England dug deep to secure extra-time victories over Spain in the quarter-finals and Germany in the final.
Wiegman boasts a sensational overall record since taking on the role as England manager in 2021. The Lionesses remain unbeaten under her stewardship, having won 22 and drawn four of her 26 matches in charge.
Three-time Best FIFA Women’s Coach award-winner Wiegman is the only person to have been honoured with the prize on more than one occasion.
What they said about Wiegman…
“First and foremost, she’s a great coach; the way that she sees football, the way that she analyses other teams. But her management of players sticks out for me and the way that she’s made every person feel valued in this team.” Fran Kirby, England forward
“I’m really impressed with Sarina’s mentality, her attitude. You can see she has got a really good way of working with the players and they’re enjoying working with her.” Gareth Southgate, England men’s national team manager
“She is the missing ingredient England were looking for. She has brought us all together. She is a special person and puts us first as human beings.” Leah Williamson, England captain
How The Best FIFA Women’s Coach award winner was decided
- Six coaches were initially nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s Coach award, having been chosen by a panel of experts.
- From this shortlist, votes were cast by women’s national team coaches, women’s national team captains, football journalists, and fans who voted on FIFA’s official website. Voters made their first, second and third choices for the winner.
- Points were given to nominees depending on where they were placed (five points for first, three for second and one for third).
- Nominated national team coaches could not vote for themselves.
- Selections from the four voting groups – coaches, captains, journalists, and fans – each counted for 25 per cent of the total vote, irrespective of the number of voters from each group.
- The Best FIFA Women’s Coach award was presented to the individual with the most points.
The voting procedure for The Best FIFA Women’s Coach award was supervised by independent observers.
Source: FIFA.com
