Lucy Bronze wins FIFA women’s player award as Wiegman gets best coach

By Sky Sports

Lucy Bronze beats Pernille Harder and Wendie Renard to win The Best FIFA Women’s Player award for 2020; Sarina Wiegman named The Best FIFA Women’s Coach; Sarah Bouhaddi is The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper

Manchester City and England defender Lucy Bronze has become the first British player to win one of the top two categories at the FIFA Best Football Awards, having been named the top women’s player in the world.

Manchester City defender Lucy Bronze has been named The Best FIFA Women’s Player for 2020 ahead of Pernille Harder and Wendie Renard, while future England Women’s head coach Sarina Wiegman won The Best FIFA Women’s Coach award.

Bronze returned to City in the summer after spending three years at Lyon, where she won three straight Champions League and French league titles.

“To have won it, I don’t think I have the words right now to explain how I’m feeling. If there’s anything that 2020 has taught us it’s to appreciate every moment. Winning this award now, I’ll appreciate it more than ever and I’ll remember this moment for the rest of my life.”

Both Bronze and Renard were part of Lyon’s treble-winning side in 2019-20, and the club’s dominance also saw Sarah Bouhaddi claim The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper award ahead of Christiane Endler (Chile & Paris Saint-Germain) and Alyssa Naeher (USA & Chicago Red Stars).

FIFA FIFPro Women’s World11 2020

Christiane Endler, Lucy Bronze, Wendie Renard, Millie Bright, Delphine Cascarino, Barbara Bonansea, Veronica Boquete, Megan Rapinoe, Pernille Harder, Vivianne Miedema, Tobin Heath

England defender Lucy Bronze says she is looking forward to working with incoming head coach Sarina Wiegman when she starts in September 2021

Bronze was also named in the FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World11, where she was joined by Chelsea defender and fellow England international Millie Bright.

The English duo were two of five WSL players to make the XI, with Chelsea’s Harder joined in attack by Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema and Manchester United’s Tobin Heath.

In the men’s categories, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was named the best men’s coach, while Robert Lewandowski beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the best player award.

Bronze: I want to be a serial winner with England

Bronze added: “If there’s anything that 2020 has taught us, it’s to appreciate every single moment that you’ve got, to never look too far ahead. Winning this award, I will remember this moment for the rest of my like. I’m just so thankful, I’ll never take the smallest things for granted.

“The magic had to be the Champions League. It was like a World Cup, and going up against fierce rivals PSG and Wolfsburg, back to back, it was disappointing not to have fans but it was incredible to be in it and lift the trophy.

“A huge reason for me coming back to City was to be that serial winner with a club in England, and to bring that back with the national team is what I’m looking forward to the most, with the Olympics for Team GB and then a home Euros and World Cup.”

Meanwhile Netherlands women’s coach Sarina Wiegman, who will replace Phil Neville as England Women’s head coach in September 2021, won The Best FIFA Women’s Coach.

Wiegman guided the Netherlands to eight straight wins in UEFA Women’s Championship qualifying, though come the tournament she will be in charge of England after Euro 2021 was pushed back a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

She signed a four-year deal and will take charge of England after the postponed Tokyo Olympics next summer, where Neville is expected to take charge of the Team GB women’s football team.

“Phil has responsibility for his team for the upcoming 12 months and I will absolutely respect that,” said Wiegman in August.

Chelsea Women’s coach Emma Hayes and Lyon’s Jean-Luc Vasseur were the other two finalists for the award.