Fan vote is over! Who will be the football icon of 2020?

We will not forget this year in football for many reasons. The pandemic has stopped the world of football, as only wars have done before. Then football was catching up at a pace never before. With the stands free, coaches and soccer players learn new challenges while running. The pole won the Champions League. For the first time since the reign of Kazimierz Deyna and Zbigniew Bono, the Polish name began to appear on the podium of international referendums. Some of them have already won Robert Lewandowski. A new hand has begun in soccer, a new test of strength, a generational change occurring among the football’s biggest stars. This is a great time to start something new. And to remember it forever after the special year 2020.

Once upon a time, Sport.pl hosted the “Sports Icon” poll. Now we are starting the elections for the football icon and we are inviting the foreign journalists and our readers to these elections. Prizes will be awarded in three categories: Soccer Player, Soccer Player and Coach of the Year.

After editorial consulting and consultations with journalists from other editorial offices, whose voice on the topic of foreign football is greatly appreciated – with Michel Zakodny, joined by Pi³ka, Tomasz Æwi ± ka³ from Canal + Sport, Tomasz from Eleven Sports, Jakub Urban Polkowski from Foottruck , We have compiled lists of candidates. There are thirty players, five players and six coaches for 2020.

We have invited journalists from 50 leading countries in the FIFA arrangement at the beginning of November 2020 to participate in the referendum on the condition that Great Britain has one representative, without dividing into England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And three wild cards for countries whose national teams are now outside the FIFA 50 rankings, but these are very important countries for the ball, if only because of the organization of past or future World Cups, or because of the number of fans. This year, we awarded these wild cards to South Africa (host M¦ 2010), Qatar (host M¦ 2022) and China. Random cards are also an added security, so in the event that any vote-gathering complications arise, you’ll always have voters from at least 50 of today’s biggest football nations.

Each voter must choose the five best soccer players, three best women, and three best coaches for 2020. Five points are awarded for first place, four points for second place, and three points for third place. And in the Football of the Year category, two extra points for fourth place and one point for fifth.

We invited the journalists we valued, read and listen to them every day to vote. They agreed to participate, among other things, Julio Maldonado, one of the most famous football journalists in Spain, representing Great Britain, the author of football books and journalist Graham Hunter, Italy – King of Transfer News Gianluca de Marzio, Germany Christian Falk, Head of the Football Department of Sport Build. ” Ireland – Miguel Delaney from The Independent.

It gives readers points on behalf of Poland. End of voting on Friday!

We have another voice: we want our readers to award points on behalf of Poland. From Monday until the end of Friday, the polls are available on the Sport.pl website, where you can vote for your favorites in categories such as the best footballer and coach of the past year. We rate the year, not the season: From November 2019 to November 2020 inclusive. After your votes are counted, journalists’ votes will be assigned points in three categories: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 5, 4, and 3.

The winners and the full voting results will be announced on December 14th in the football section. And next week, you will be able to read the texts of the poll every day on the Sport.pl website – stories about the candidates, about trends or the press about the state of football.

“I know all of Dina’s matches from the 1974 World Cup.”

The honorary sponsor of the Football Referendum Icon is Fundacja im. Kazimierz Dina. And the prize for the winners – a statue of “Kazik” in honor of Kazimierz Dina, with a graphic quote from the mural. Graham Hunter, when we invited him to vote, replied, “I know all of Dina’s matches in the 1974 World Cup.” We would love for more of our friends from the football world to know them thanks to the poll.

Kazimierz Dina was the first pole to be on the podium in the “France Football” referendum, and he was the starting point for counting Polish successes in such elections. After him, Zbigniew Boniek was on the podium in 1982, and he is also in third place. And now Robert Lewandowski is writing his own part of this story. But Kazimierz Dina was not only the first pole on the podium, he was also the first Polish symbol of football: nobody has many frescoes in his honor, Dina was the first Polish footballer to have a memorial. It reminds us of the most beautiful times, when there was more than one pole in dozens of referendums. Let it happen again at some point.

Full list of Football Icon 2020 nominees in the Soccer category:

• Alejandro Gomez (Atalanta) – Example of how Atalanta works. Gomez bought from Metalista Kharkiv for around 5 million euros and imperceptibly became one of the best midfielders in Europe and captain of Atalanta.
• Josep Ilicia (Atalanta) – the hero of one of the greatest performances of the previous edition of the Champions League, when Valencia scored four goals on the field. A footballer who does not fit into the present moment and yet finds himself in it like never before.
• Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) – Top goalscorer in the German League, Champions League and German Cup, and biggest star winner of the Triple Title
• Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich) – Bayern Munich are successful when Müller is in great shape. Unclear, but thanks to him other footballers – such as Lewandowski – are playing better.
• Thiago Alcantara (Bayern / Liverpool) – captain of the second line of Bayern Munich. In search of new challenges, he left for Liverpool.
• Alfonso Davies (Bayern Munich) – one of the greatest discoveries of the year. In the match with Chelsea in the 1/8 of the Champions League Final, he presented himself to the fans so that he would not forget him soon.
• Joshua Kimmich (Bayern) – one of the most intelligent and international footballers. Worthy deputy to Philip Lam.
• Manuel Neuer (Bayern) – He’s had worse times in recent years, but he’ll remember 2020 well. Back to the highest level.
• Serge Gnabry (Bayern) – Bayern Munich’s second-highest goal scorer on their way to winning the Champions League, his semi-final goal against Lyon (3-0) was decisive.
• Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich) – Show how you can take advantage of a break in the competition. Goretzka significantly improved his muscles, which allowed him to rise to a higher level on the field.
• Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – Even if his lifetime is weaker, he is still one of the best soccer players in the world. The only candidate from Barcelona to face the club’s problems.
• Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) – one of the most sought-after teenagers in the world. At the start of this year, he joined BVB, where he has not stopped scoring goals yet.
• Lautaro Martinez (Inter) – one of the biggest stars of Inter. His game attracted the attention of Barcelona, ​​who would have spent € 111m on him, were it not for the financial problems.
• Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) – 31 goals in Serie A in the 19/20 season and 10 goals in nine games this season. And that’s it at the age of 35.
• Paulo Dybala (Juventus) – the best player of the 2019/20 season in Serie A, Ronaldo and constant.
• Siro Immobil (Lazio) – top scorer in Serie A, with 36 goals, the Golden Boot.
• Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – the backbone of Liverpool, one of the best defenders in the world. Impassable rock.
• Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – In October he became the first player since Steven Gerrard to score 100 goals for Liverpool. Of the “Reds” attacking trio, he has always been the most effective player.
• Sadio Mane (Liverpool) – Several years ago, it was impossible to imagine Liverpool without a Senegalese winger. It was no different this year.
• Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) – If you are going to refer to the unique elements of Liverpool, then besides the attacking trio, it will also be aspects of defense. Alexander Arnold shows how a modern defender should play and he also excellently performs certain parts of the game.
• Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – the brains behind Pep Guardiola, a talented soccer player with superb passes.
• Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) – The previous season he was Manchester City’s top scorer, ahead of, among others, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus.
• Zlatan Ibrahimovio (Milan) – the oldest in the list of candidates. At the age of 39, Milan changed hands with the best team in Serie A in 2020. This season alone, the Swede has scored 11 goals and assists in 10 games.
• Bruno Fernandez (Manchester United) – the best football player in Manchester United. After moving in January 2020, he played 38 matches, scored 22 goals and provided 14 assists – and we’re talking about an attacking midfielder.
• Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) – a key player on the way Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League final. He was in great shape, even with no goal in the final tournament.
• Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) – The 21-year-old became the main star of PSG in the face of Neymar’s repeated injuries and he coped with the challenge. The most important moment was his decisive pass, as he rose to the semi-finals of LM in the 93rd minute of the Atalanta match.
• Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – his goals at the end of the season gave Real the championship they wanted. On an individual level, he made the most of the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018.
• Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) – How important is it to see him when he’s not there. Real Madrid’s most symbolic defeat is Ramos.
• Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) – succeeded despite difficult starts at Real Madrid. The key to winning the league was excellent defense after matches resumed.
• Lucas Ocampos (Seville) – In Seville, he was reborn with Lopetegui and was a key player on his way to winning the Egyptian pound.

You can find the poll to vote for the best soccer player here >>

Full list of Football Icon 2020 nominees in the Soccer Player category:

• Lucy Bronze (Olympique Lyonnais / Manchester City) – The England representative plays a side defender, last season she won four titles with Lyon. She moved to Manchester City to achieve similar successes also on her home soil.
• Delphine Cascarino (Olympique Lyon) – Lyon striker, one of the main figures involved in the success of the French club. She was chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year for her performance in the league.
• Pernelle Harder (Wolfsburg / Chelsea) – Dinka scored 27 goals in 21 league matches and scored nine goals in seven matches in the center of the capital, winning the German Championship and the German Cup. Her team lost to Lyon in the LM Final.
• Vivienne Miedema (Arsenal) – The 24-year-old has scored the most goals in the league (16, plus eight assists) and has scored 10 goals in the league.
• Wendy Renard (Olympique Lyonnais) – The 30-year-old is a Lyon legend, scoring the only goal in the semi-final match between LM and PSG.

You can find the poll to vote for the best soccer player here >>

Full list of Football Icon 2020 Candidates in the Coach Category:

• Hansi Flick (Bayern Munich) – changed Bayern after Niko Kovac and showed that the Bavarian machine could drive more than 100 km / h. On its way to the Triple Crown, Flick’s team broke several records.
• Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta) – the most sensual coach of 2020, who has been a few minutes away from the Champions League semi-finals and for a long time has been delighting fans with his results and his style of play. And all this in a city that has become a symbol of fighting the epidemic.
• Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool) – gave Liverpool their first Premier League title with 99 points.
• Julen Lopetegui (Sevilla) – got up very quickly after a failed spell at Real Madrid. With Seville, he won the European League and advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League.
• Julian Nagelsmann (RB Leipzig) – One of the most sought-after coaches of the younger generation, who preferred to move from Hoffenheim to RB Leipzig rather than Real Madrid. He brilliantly and unexpectedly leads the semi-finals of the previous LM edition.
• Thomas Tuchel (Paris Saint-Germain) – coach of the winner of the French League and the Champions League Final.

You can find the poll with voting for Coach of the Year here >>