1997 FIFA Awards
The 1997 FIFA World Player Gala (now called the Best FIFA Football Awards) was an international football award ceremony by the sport's governing body FIFA. Four awards were presented in 1997, the Best FIFA Men's Player, the FIFA Fair Play Award, and the Top Team and Mover of the Year Awards.
Best Player Award: The 1997 winner of the FIFA best player award was the Brazilian player Ronaldo. He was also the winner of the 1997 Ballon d'Or. The women's award for Best FIFA Women's Player was not awarded until 2001.
Fair Play Award: This award recognizes behavior that promotes the spirit of fair play and compassion. In 1997 there were three awards given. One to Irish supporters for their exemplary behavior during the World Cup preliminary match against Belgium, to Slovak amateur player Jozef Žovinec for 60 years of amateur football without receiving a yellow card, and to US National team player Julie Foudy for her efforts against child labor.
Team of the Year: The team of the year award is given to the men's national team that finishes on top of the FIFA World Rankings. In 1997, the winner was Brazil. Brazil was the top-ranked team for the years from 1994 until 2006 (except in 2001).
Best Mover of the Year: This award is for the men's team who made the best progress up the FIFA world rankings over the course of the year. The winner in 1997 was Yugoslavia.
Related Pages
- FIFA Awards
- FIFA World Cup Awards
- Best FIFA Men's Player
- FIFA Fair Play Award
- Team & Mover of the Year Awards
- 1997 Ballon d'Or
- 1997 The Year in Sport
- Football Awards Lists
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