Arab News, Dubai

Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal football club and the striker of Saudi club Al-Nassr were among the recipients of 17 awards presented during the 11th edition of the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards on Sunday night.

The Riyadh-based Al-Hilal football club was awarded Best Arab Club of the Year while the Al-Nassr Moroccan striker Abderrazak Hamdallah clinched the accolade for Best Arab Player.

The awards were in recognition of the football stars in the region by the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards in cooperation with Kooora.

“The global success of the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards over the years is tangible proof of how the football industry has grown exponentially in every aspect in the Middle East. Through these awards, we aim to motivate and inspire athletes, both young and young at heart, men and women, as well as all those who work tirelessly behind the scenes, always giving the best of themselves for the continuous expansion of this wonderful sport that is football,” said Tommaso Bendoni, CEO of Dubai Globe Soccer Awards.

Hilal were the winners of the AFC Champions League for the third time in 2019, equalling the record of the Korean club Pohang Steelers in Asia’s premier club competition.

Hamdallah won the Saudi Professional League with his club, and has been awarded a number of individual prizes during the course of the 2018-2019 season: the Saudi Professional League Golden Boot, the Saudi Professional League Player of the Season and the Saudi Professional League Top Scorer.

The glittering ceremony also saw Portuguese champion Cristiano Ronaldo honored for the sixth time as Best Men’s Player of the Year in acknowledgement of his success during the season, winning in Italy with Juventus FC (Serie A) and in Europe with Portugal (UEFA Nations League).

Sharing the stage in Dubai to receive an award dedicated to the best athletes at the international level was English champion Lucy Bronze, who was named Best Women’s Player of the Year.

After a stellar season with Olympique Lyonnais, which can count four prizes in its trophy cupboard for 2019 — French Championship, French Cup, Trophee des Championnes (France) and UEFA Women’s Champions League (Europe) — Bronze enters into the history of Globe Soccer as the first holder of the prize dedicated to women in football.

The following are the 17 awards presented at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards:

1. Best Academy of the Year: AFC Ajax and S.L. Benfica
2. Best Agent of the Year: Jorge Mendes
3. Best Club of the Year: Liverpool FC
4. Best Coach of the Year: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool FC)
5. Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Alisson Becker
6. Best Men’s Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo
7. Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City F.C. and SAP
8. Best Referee of the Year: Stephanie Frappart
9. Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid, Portugal’s national team)
10. Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
11. Best Women’s Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze
12. Best Young Arab Player of the Year: Achraf Hakimi
13. Kooora — Best Arab Club Award: Al-Hilal SFC (Saudi Arabia)
14. Kooora — Best Arab Player Award: Abderazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
15. Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs

Note: There are two winners for Best Academy of the Year and Player Career Award.