Globe Soccer Awards - 14th Edition

Summary

The Dubai Globe Soccer Awards hosts a glitzy ceremony with star football guests to celebrate excellence in the sport. Top players and coaches are nominated for categories like Best Goalkeeper, Best Women's Player, and Career Awards. Manchester City dominates, winning Best Men's Club and multiple individual player honors like Kevin De Bruyne and Pep Guardiola. The audience also recognizes legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with special trophies. In an emotional yet celebratory event, the football community honors standout seasons and whole careers of shaping the beautiful game.

Takeaways

• 📺 The event took place at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, highlighting the 18th annual Dubai International Sports Conference followed by the 14th Dubai Globe Soccer Award.
• 🏀 Football stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruben Dias, and Kyle Walker were featured, with discussions focusing on sustainability, performance in football, and their careers.
• 🎙 Cristiano Ronaldo discussed his move to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, aiming to impact football globally and appreciating the success of Manchester City.
• 🏆 Manchester City's achievements and strategy were a central theme, with Pep Guardiola's management style and the team's success being highlighted.
• 📝 The conference covered various topics, including the psychological aspects of winning, the importance of teamwork, and insights from football legends.
• 🏁 Awards were presented to individuals and teams for their contributions to football, with Manchester City receiving multiple accolades including Best Men's Club.
• 🖥 Cristiano Ronaldo won the Best Middle East Player and the Maradona Award, acknowledging his influence and success in the Middle East.
• 👏 The event paid tribute to football legends such as Sir Bobby Charlton, Mario Zagallo, and Franz Beckenbauer, honoring their legacies.
• 📈 The Globe Soccer Awards announced an expansion with an intercontinental series starting in Sardinia, indicating the event's growing global footprint.
• 😍 Erling Haaland was named the Best Men's Player of the Year, highlighting his extraordinary goal-scoring achievements with Manchester City.

Q & A

What is the theme of the conference being held in the video?

The theme of the conference centers around sustainability and performance in football.

What commitment has the Dubai Sports Council made regarding environmental responsibility?

The Dubai Sports Council has committed to measuring the emissions associated with the event, offsetting them, and taking steps to make the event carbon neutral in the future.

What trophy did Manchester City win for the first time according to the video?

Manchester City won the UEFA Champions League trophy for the first time.

Who is the coach that was named Best Coach of the Year?

Pep Guardiola was named the Best Coach of the Year.

What special award did Cristiano Ronaldo receive along with Best Middle East Player?

Cristiano Ronaldo received the Maradona Award along with Best Middle East Player. The award has a replica of Diego Maradona's foot.

What club did Khaldoon Al Mubarak receive the award for Best President for?

Khaldoon Al Mubarak received the award for Best President for Manchester City.

How many votes did Cristiano Ronaldo receive from fans for the Fans' Favorite Player award?

Cristiano Ronaldo received 5 million votes from fans for the Fans' Favorite Player award.

Which player was named the Best Men's Player of the Year?

Erling Haaland was named the Best Men's Player of the Year.

Where will the first European edition of the Globe Soccer Awards be held?

The first European edition of the Globe Soccer Awards will be held in Sardinia, Italy in May 2024.

What three legendary players were honored with a tribute after passing away recently?

Sir Bobby Charlton, Mario Zagallo, and Franz Beckenbauer were honored with a tribute after their recent passing.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Opening remarks and welcome

The host welcomes everyone to the 18th Dubai International Sports Conference and 14th Dubai Globe Soccer Awards. He talks about the event being organized by Dubai Sports Council, its history since 2006, and this year's theme being about sustainability and performance in football.

05:04

🌎 Thinking globally

The host talks about the importance of environmental responsibility and Dubai's commitment to sustainability. He then announces the inaugural European edition of the awards to be held in Sardinia, Italy in May 2024.

10:06

⚽️ Honoring football legends

The hosts pay tribute to three legendary World Cup winners who recently passed away - Sir Bobby Charlton, Mario Zagallo, and Franz Beckenbauer. They ask everyone to observe a moment of silence.

15:08

👍 Emerging talent

The award for Power Horse Emerging Player of the Year is announced. The winner is Jude Bellingham of England and Real Madrid, who sent a video message thanking everyone.

20:09

👩‍🎤 Women's football star

The award for Best Women's Player goes to Aitana Bonmati of Spain and FC Barcelona. She sent a video message apologizing for missing the event and thanking everyone for the award.

25:12

🌅 A night of winners in Dubai

The hosts emphasize the world-class location and hospitality in Dubai. They thank the local organizers and sponsors for their efforts in making the event a spectacular experience.

30:13

🏆 Best Club in Middle East

The award for Best Middle East Club goes to Egyptian giants Al Ahly. Their president Mahmoud El Khatib takes the stage to collect the trophy and say a few words.

35:14

🧑‍💼 Top football agents

The hosts discuss the crucial behind-the-scenes role played by football agents. The award for Best Agent goes to Jorge Mendes, who thanks his team and family.

40:16

🤝 Transfer wizard

The award for Best Sporting Director goes to Cristiano Guintoli for his work at Napoli and Juventus. He thanks his colleagues and aims to win more trophies with Juventus.

45:16

🧤 World's best goalkeeper

Manchester City's Ederson wins Best Goalkeeper for his heroics. He talks about the honor of playing under Pep Guardiola and wanting to win more trophies with his talented teammates.

50:17

🚜 Driving force in midfield

The award for Best Midfielder goes to Manchester City and Spain's Rodri. He talks about his historic Champions League final goal and wanting to replicate last season's quadruple success.

55:19

🏆 Barcelona rule Europe

FC Barcelona wins Best Women's Club on the back of domestic and Champions League success. Director Xavier Puig accepts the award and reads a message from Aitana Bonmati.

00:38

👕 All-conquering City

Manchester City is named Best Men's Club after a historic season winning multiple trophies including Premier League, Champions League, and Club World Cup. The players and Pep Guardiola celebrate on stage.

05:45

👑 King of the Middle East

Cristiano Ronaldo wins Best Middle East Player and the Maradona Award for his sensational goalscoring exploits at Al-Nassr. He talks about his achievements and growing football in Saudi Arabia.

11:07

🎩 Coaching greatness

Pep Guardiola is named Best Coach for Manchester City's unprecedented success. He talks about the importance of winning and having a hungry, winning mentality.

16:14

👔 Visionary leader

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak wins Best President. He attributes success to the club's pursuit of excellence, stability, and continuity under legendary coach Pep Guardiola.

21:17

⭐️ Fans' favorite

Cristiano Ronaldo wins Fans' Favorite Player for the 5 million votes he received. He talks about the importance of fans in football and thanks his supporters at Al-Nassr.

26:19

🎯 Goal machine

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is named Best Men's Player after a debut season for the ages. He talks about the great environment at the club and his hunger to play again soon.

Keywords

💡Globe Soccer Awards

The Globe Soccer Awards is an annual football award ceremony held in Dubai since 2010. It honors the best players, coaches, clubs, and agents in world football that year. The video script is a full transcript of the 2023 awards ceremony, describing the nominees and winners in different categories.

💡Champions League

The UEFA Champions League is an annual club football competition between top teams across Europe. Winning the Champions League is considered the pinnacle achievement in European club football. The script mentions Manchester City winning their first Champions League title in 2023 after years of trying.

💡Manchester City

Manchester City is an English football club based in Manchester. In 2023, Manchester City had a historic season, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, and Club World Cup under manager Pep Guardiola. They are mentioned frequently in the script as nominees and winners.

💡Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Saudi club Al-Nassr. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time. In the script, Ronaldo wins multiple awards including Best Middle East Player for his performance in 2023.

💡Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola is a Spanish football manager and current manager of Manchester City. Under Guardiola, Manchester City has become the dominant force in English and European football. Guardiola wins Best Coach in the script for Manchester City's successful 2023 season.

💡Middle East football

The script talks about the rising prominence of Middle Eastern football, with big name players like Cristiano Ronaldo joining Saudi clubs and increased investment. This is expanding the sport's global reach.

💡Al-Nassr FC

Al-Nassr FC is a Saudi Arabian football club that signed Cristiano Ronaldo in 2023. Ronaldo said his move to Al-Nassr was to help grow football in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

💡Women's football

The script covers awards for best women's player, club, and national team, showing the growing recognition of women's football globally. Spain's Alexia Putellas and Barcelona FC won top women's awards.

💡Football legends

Football legends like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and John Terry make appearances and win awards in the script. Their presence celebrates the history of the sport.

💡Fans' voting

Millions of football fans globally voted for their favorite player and club in the awards. Cristiano Ronaldo won Fans' Favorite Player, showing his enduring popularity worldwide.

Highlights

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Transcripts

Live from Atlantis The Palm,

in the presence of some of the biggest and brightest stars in world football.

Welcome to Dubai.

Distinguished guests,

ladies and gentlemen, football fans, good evening and welcome one and all.

Whether you're here in the room or of course, tuning in from across the globe

to this, the 18th annual Dubai International Sports conference,

as well as the 14th edition of the Dubai Globe Soccer Award straight afterwards.

This one's organized annually by the Dubai Sports Council.

Been doing this since 2006.

The Dubai International Sports Conference, which is a member of the

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global initiatives, has delivered many,

many substantial debates driven by the biggest names in the game.

They come to engage in discussions around topics, topics which explore various

aspects that make football the global phenomenon that it is.

So why are we here tonight?

Well, the theme of our discussion this

evening centers around sustainability and, of course, performance in football.

While on the topic of sustainability,

we here at the Dubai Sports Council and the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards

recognize the extraordinary importance of environmental responsibility.

And we are committed to measuring the emissions associated with this event.

Recognizing that responsibility,

we are committed to offsetting all the measured emissions and of course,

taking further steps to eventually ensure a carbon neutral event in the future.

So, without further ado, it is time to get things started.

We're ready. You're ready.

And facilitating this year's conference,

it is, of course, sports anchor from our

media father, CNN, please welcome Amanda Davies.

Thank you very much indeed, Tom.

Welcome, everybody.

They say the hardest thing when you reach the top is to stay at the top, don't they?

Perhaps a clichê, but it is true.

And there are not many in football

who have done it as consistently for such a period of time as the gentlemen there,

who'll join us to share some of the secrets

of their success over the next 30 minutes or so.

We are talking reaching peak performance

and sustaining it, sustaining the beautiful game.

So let's crack on.

Please welcome two players integral

to last season's history making campaign by Manchester City.

Firstly, a portuguese international

with 53 caps for his country, consistently named in the FIFPro World XI

for his role in City's back line.

So integral to that european treble

winning season, it is Ruben Dias.

Welcome.

Next up, a player who joins him in that back line, a fullback who's helped

City to five Premier League titles since he joined in 2017.

As well as that incredible success last year, known as one of the best fullbacks

of a generation, known for his pace, strength and vision.

Ladies and gentlemen, Kyle Walker.

So that leaves us with one chair

and joining the Manchester City duo a player in his 22nd season as

a professional footballer who spent most of those as part of the GOATs.

The Greatest Of All Time debate.

A five time Champions League winner,

the top goal scorer of all time and showing no sign of slowing down,

having topped the world goal scoring charts last year.

Please welcome Cristiano Ronaldo.

Amazing.

Thank you so much for your time, gentlemen.

I mean, Cristiano, you've made no secret of your Manchester United allegiance,

meaning you'd have a bit of a problem, perhaps, moving to City,

but are you at least able to appreciate the success and what they've

done in the last twelve months? It was amazing.

First of all, good evening or good night for everybody.

I'm so pleased to be here.

Thank you for the welcome.

Well, about them.

Amazing season.

Congratulations to Manchester City for them and all players.

The coach, they did amazing work and finally they win the Champions League.

In my opinion, they should deserve to win,

maybe two years ago,

but the timing always come and to be honest, I enjoy to watch them to play.

I think they have a very good team, very good coach, the system, how they play.

So amazing. Congratulations.

Yeah. And that doesn't come easily, I guess.

From you, nothing is easy.

They deserve.

Ruben, so much had been made about

the weight and so close, yet so far for you in the City team.

What psychologically did it mean to get over that line?

Well, I think until you actually do it, you've not done it.

But also I think that, especially when we're talking about a club

that has done it for the first time, it takes a process to do that.

So, in the end, today,

you see these faces collecting the big award, but it's been a work of many years.

And in the end, it's not just us, it's a whole process.

And the congratulations, it's obviously for us, but for all

the guys that participated before, managers, players, everyone involved,

because to bring the club to where it was, to where it is now,

I think that's the biggest prize we all have.

Kyle, what is the secret of the success?

I mean, this is the point in the season where you're looking from the outside,

people waiting for the leaders to have a wobble, to make a few mistakes.

This is where City cranks through the gears.

Yeah. I mean, in recent years,

we've known to kick on after the Christmas period,

but I think what the key and the secret is wanting to do it again and again.

I think the manager is a massive driving force in that.

But I think also some of the players that we've brought in took out.

We've always made sure that we've kept

the high standards and made sure that we keep winning year after year.

And Pep very openly said, this is not just about one Champions League crown.

You've got to go on and win it again.

Cristiano, that is something that you did with Real Madrid.

Not just once, but twice, but three times.

What was the key in that, do you think?

The key.

Well, it's difficult to say.

I think it's belief, the dedication,

hard work, and in my opinion,

nothing is a coincidence.

So I think they have potential to do it the same.

I hope no, but they have potential.

But I think they have potential because they still have good team.

Some players,

they are on prime, they play good football.

I think they have a good chance to win the Champions League again.

But we will see many factors will happen.

Who do you see as the favorites this season?

The favorite?

Yeah, well, they're always in the top to be

the favorites, but they're always the same clubs.

Bayern, Manchester City, Real Madrid.

I don't know.

I think that three will be the finals, I think.

Who do you see as the favorites, Kyle?

Yeah, I think just there you look at them,

three teams, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester City.

We're all there with good players.

You know, who've a chance of winning it, you'd say.

But I also feel that you need luck.

You need a little bit of luck

in the Champions League to make sure that you get to the final and then it's

down for big players and big moments to then also go and win you that game,

which we've got a lot in the dressing room.

Obviously, I'm sat next to him and he's a fantastic player.

One of the best that's ever graced the game.

But I think what's very key with our team is that there's no standout.

We're all a collective and we're a team,

and we rely on each other to make sure that we can get over the line.

We look at the other night and Kevin's

come on on the 70th minute and obviously the capabilities that Kevin has and stuff

like that, but it's a process, it's a team game and that's what we're in it for.

And we make sure that we get to places where we can, for a collective.

Cristiano, it's a team game, without doubt.

But there was all eyes on you as one player when you made the move to Saudi.

I think it's fair to say there were a few

people who weren't the most positive about it.

But how did that act for you as a motivation?

Well, I thought will be a good move to me. Why not

to give a chance to another countries

with my football, with my passion, to change mentalities?

Why not?

And I'm capable to do that.

I'm not be arrogant, but I said that one year ago.

The things change, the world change,

the football change, the rules change, everything change.

So my move, I think it was a good move.

I feel so happy.

Many players move there, coaches,

directors, even nutritionists, they moving there.

So the Saudi is in the process.

That will take long.

But in a life we always say step by step we reach to the highest level.

So I believe they're going to be in the top three-four in the world.

But step by step I think we're going to reach that.

Where do you think the level is now?

You're a year on, aren't you?

You're a year on to your life in Saudi Arabia.

Where do you think the level is now?

The level right now?

To be honest, I think the Saudi League is

not worse than France's league to be in my opinion.

And French league I think you have two,

three teams with a good level. In Saudi now,

I think it's more competitive.

They can say whatever they want.

It's just my opinion and I played there one year so I know what I'm talking about.

But I think right now we are better than France League, so we still improve.

What do you think is the key in terms of taking it to the next level?

The key, you have many factors that apply to improve the league.

As I say before, they have many things to improve.

But I think with the powerful people behind to help to change a little bit

the culture of football, the bad habits, I think we're going to reach in one point

that the people there in Saudi will be proud.

The investment there, it's huge.

So why not believe on that?

Like in Saudi, even in Dubai,

the things change and the world change so they deserve opportunities.

How much did you use the criticism as motivation?

Say again?

How much did you use the criticism as motivation?

It's part of the journey.

I'm always dealing with that. I'm professional 22 years.

It's part of my journey to be a better man, a better player, a better father.

So it's good.

I like when the people doubt about me and I prove again that

one year with successful I had last year a little bit difficult journey.

But I'm glad that things happened because

make me feel more strong and you can see this year I did a fantastic season.

I was the best goal scorer, imagine,

to beat that animals, the young lions, like Haaland, for example, with the goals.

So I'm proud.

I'm 39 soon and I'm still looking good, so I'm proud.

Ruben, you've had the pleasure,

I'm guessing, of being a teammate of both Cristiano and Erling.

Which would you rather on your team?

Difficult question.

Well, in the end, they're just different players.

Obviously, Cristiano is older now, he's in a different stage of his career.

But obviously,

when it comes to choose between players, I always stay away from that question,

just because everyone's different and you have many different ways of seeing

the game these days, and one might fit best one kind of idea,

the other one might fit best the other one.

But in the end, I think I wouldn't be badly served with either of them because

the one thing they both do a lot is scoring goals.

Cristiano was talking about using criticism and the skeptics as motivation.

Thierry Henry recently revealed that he now looks back and thinks he was suffering

with mental depression and low points during his career.

How do you deal with the tough moments yet still perform on the pitch?

Well, I think, since young, we're told, and we grow up knowing that that's

unfortunately part of being a footballer, especially on the top level.

The more visibility you have,

the more open you are to criticism, as much as you are also open to when

things go well, to get cheered and beloved by everyone.

It's about, I think, building that strong mindset that will

shield you in a way and protect yourself when the times get a bit more tough.

And then in the end,

it's about a little bit of fight with yourself and always coming up on top.

A bit like you were saying, all of us get criticism in a moment of our

lives for personal matters, for professional reasons.

It can be from whatever side you might sometimes not expect.

But what does matter is that

you always stay strong and you always remember where you're going for.

And I think in here, in this room, we have many examples of that.

How much do you rely on yourself in those moments?

How much do you lean on the team?

I do think that,

especially on those moments of criticism, is when you most rely on yourself,

is when you most have to rely on everything you've built yourself with.

Because that's the moment where probably you're not going to have so much people

around you trying to help you and supporting you.

And that's the one moment in which you

just grind it out and you show the world and everyone around you that you're there.

And people can talk,

people can say whatever they want to say, but you are who you want to be.

Let's talk about Pep.

What is life under Pep Guardiola like?

It's tough on days.

I think I speak for probably everyone now that for what he's achieved,

what he does in football, what he teaches you, not just

as a football player, but as a person.

No pressure, I mean, look at that glare.

No, but he's fantastic and he probably knows that.

But it is tough because he demands so much from you.

But it's also what you should do every day and come to training and make sure

that you give 100% and you should demand from yourself as well.

But sometimes you do have off days, but you can't have off days with him

because as soon as you have off days, he's normally shouting at you.

Ederson said, the thing with Pep is

that he's always ten steps ahead of everybody else.

As a player, how hard is that to keep up with?

Well, I think

it shouldn't be difficult, because if there's one thing besides

having the manager we have and the structure we have,

is that we also have players that want to be forward as well,

even though sometimes we're not, and he's the one that keeps on pulling us.

But as a player, if you're ambitious and if you want

to keep on winning, especially after so many great things

that this team has done, this is the kind of person you need next to you.

Obviously, it's an effort of everyone, not just him, not just us, everyone.

But he's the man in front of the ship,

so it is crucial that he's got that mentality.

How do you compare, Cristiano, what you see from Pep with Sir Alex Ferguson?

I think the mindset of the winners, they are different, in my opinion.

Personality, the character, the way they see the life,

the way they see the players, the way they see the difficult moments.

The top players and top coaches, they're thinking different.

As I say before, no coincidence that he win what he won.

So no miracles, hard work.

You see different things that the other ones, like Sir Alex Ferguson,

and of course other coaches, too, they are different.

And when you look at what happens next

in your career, what happens next in your career,

how much longer can you keep this level going?

I don't know. I live day by day.

How much do you rely on the data and the facts and how much of it is instinct?

Listen, with some issues that I had,

personal and professional make me feel and make me thinking in a different way.

As I told you before, I thinking the present and the moment.

The moment is good.

I feel good.

I still capable to do

some goals, to help my team, to help the national team too.

So I will carry on. The moment when I finish?

I don't know, to be honest.

But of course will be soon.

Soon, I mean, ten years more.

But I'm joking.

So relative.

It's all relative. I don't know.

Let's see.

Are you instinct or data? Instinct.

Instinct.

I feel for me it's more on just play on how you feel.

I think when you're happy and when you're

feeling happy in yourself, we're doing the job that everyone loves.

Everyone as a small kid playing football.

We wanted to do what we're doing now.

So I just want to enjoy it.

I want to enjoy it to the fullest capacity

and then just play with a smile on my face.

I think for Cristiano, whenever he wants to retire, he will retire.

He deserves the right of that.

But I'm more off instinct and just doing what makes me happy.

As the calendar gets longer, Bernardo Silva was very open,

talking about the Club World Cup and the expansion of that.

How easy is that?

How much tougher does it make your job to keep the level where you are?

I don't think it becomes tougher because we're doing what we love.

Like I just said before, this is what

we're paid to do and we're paid well to do it.

So to achieve what we've achieved, I feel we probably should have won

a Champions League before when we got to the final against Chelsea.

But you do need setbacks in life.

You do need things to come back from,

or nearly moments to then also achieve your dream, which we went unachieved

to then win the Super cup and the Club World cup after that was a bonus.

You're in them competitions because you won the Champions League.

So listen, we're in the FA cup, obviously still fighting very hard

for the Premier League and still in the Champions League.

So we'll try and replicate what we did last year.

Who knows what's going to happen, but why not?

How is your career compared to what you

had hoped for when you were starting out as a young boy?

Well, to start at Sheffield United

and then go to Tottenham at the age of 19 and leave there at 27 with no medals was

tough. To come here and won the amount

of Premier Leagues that I've won in a short amount of time.

And obviously the Champions League, it's been more than ever dreamed of.

But that's not just me that's without

the past and present players that have been here.

It's just been a journey,

and it's been a journey that I've loved, and that's why I've extended my contract,

obviously, at Manchester City, and it's a team that's fully in my heart.

How much of your career, and I'll ask this to Ruben

as well, how much of your career was dependent on your academy career and life

as a schoolboy, and how much has it been your development subsequently?

I think it teaches you

certain things or certain paths in your life when you are a schoolboy.

I think probably now you look at Rico and Oscar that are here tonight,

that I think the born old Phil, who was born in 2000,

that their paths are going to be completely different to what mine was.

But I think everyone has their journey.

Everyone has their journey in life, and it's brought us to where we all are

today, enjoying this moment and this special night.

And I just feel what your path is.

It's destiny.

Ruben, in terms of how much was set when you were at the academies in Portugal?

Well, obviously, I guess I consider myself

very fortunate to have been brought up in Benfica's academy.

I don't know if people are very aware, but the academy has probably everything

a young player can need to become whatever you want to become.

But I think you can come from different backgrounds.

At home, I had a different example, a very different one, my own brother,

and he was living in another way of making his own way.

But I think just being around football in a way, in a dressing room, dealing with

other young footballers, it just helps you develop.

It helps you.

I've met many people from different

backgrounds that just get a very good shape in terms of just

getting away from their normal place and getting into football in which you

just deal with different communities and different kinds of people.

So in the end, yeah,

I think the final result, whether you make it to the top or not,

is always going to be something better than what you were before.

Kyle mentioned Rico coming through.

What do you see as you guys see as your

role in terms of developing the next generation and allowing them to flourish

not only in the dressing room, but on the pitch as well?

He's actually not that old.

He just talks like he's 33.

He's one a lot.

No, we try and make sure that it's enjoyable.

You want to come to work and enjoy it.

First and foremost, me, Kevin, Ruben, Rodri, Bernardo, the captains.

We make sure that it's an enjoyable place.

You come here because you're happy,

but we're here to win, and that's the main thing.

And like Ruben said, it comes from the driving force as the manager.

But our job as the captains is to make sure that the lads are happy.

The lads are fully focused on what we need

to do and where this team is shaped from, is that we're his voice in the changing room.

And I don't know whether you saw this week Vinicius Jr.

scoring his goal and paying tribute to you.

How much pride do you take from that in terms of inspiring the next generation?

It's good when you have a family, big family, like I am.

So it's good to be proud of your kids.

Junior do it his way.

I think he have a good talent still,

to improve more, I need to teach him some tricks, but I think he's in a good way.

He's a good boy.

He like to play football.

He have the drive.

So he make me happy.

What is your key bit of advice to the next

generation, in terms of making it to the top and staying there?

Believe.

I think you should believe in everything.

And, of course, the rest.

It's the dedication, the hard work.

Listen to people who know more than you,

who they have more experience than you, and believe in your talent.

I think it's the main point.

And what a note to end on.

Everybody nodding.

Thank you ever so much, gentlemen, for your time.

It's been a real pleasure to speak to you.

Some fantastic insight from some of the best, most successful of their generation.

Plenty more silverware on the cards later

this season, of course, and perhaps even later this evening.

Ladies and gentlemen, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruben Diaz and Kyle Walker.

The event is tonight.

You can't be late.

I will be there.

I'm sending you support.

We've been expecting you.

So, a few clues for you.

A central defensive midfielder who is as tough as they come.

A player celebrated for his ball winning ability.

Ranger passing and goal scoring.

Someone who relishes the big occasion.

And has shone both the club and international level.

One more clue. He's represented his country 75 times.

A player synonymous with silverware and one of the finest the world has seen,

bringing the ceremonial Globe Soccer trophy to our breathtaking venue.

A copper America champion.

Have you got it yet?

Well, he's also a three time La Liga winner.

A five time UEFA Champions League winner

and a champion of the FIFA Club World cup three times.

Ladies and gentlemen, expertly brought in by Dubai police, the great Casemiro.

Quite the entry indeed.

And quite a difficult entry to follow.

But we will indeed.

Amanda, great to have you back here for the awards.

Oh, we will try to follow. We will try.

We welcome the world and literally the world, tuning in from all corners

of the globe with open arms to this, the United Arab Emirates,

under the leadership of His Highness Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,

the vice president and the prime minister

and the ruler of Dubai, and under the guidance of

His Highness Sheik Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,

the crown prince of Dubai and the chairman of Dubai's executive council.

A huge thank you to our illustrious

partners, sponsors and stakeholders who work tirelessly to make

the Nakheel Dubai Globe Soccer awards, the spectacle that it is today.

From our strategic partner, the Dubai Sports Council,

and supporting partners, Esaad, our platinum sponsors, Audi Al Nabooda Automobiles,

Emirates, Serie A, Power Horse and Koora Break.

To our gold sponsors, Silversands, Italpreziosi,

Atlantis, Tatatu, Sushisamba, Montegrappa, XDubai and Majesty Yachts.

Not forgetting our Media Partners, our event host broadcaster MBC, CNN, Marca,

SSC, LaPresse, Sky, SportBusiness and of course, IMAGO.

Excitment, as you can imagine, has been building up in our voting process.

We tallied 70 million votes coming from across over 200 territories heading into tonight's ceremony.

Well, in an evening where we applaud excellence, stars from around the world

are with us at the spectacular Atlantis The Palm.

From all time greats to rising stars, all have made their way to our iconic city.

We have with us, Manchester City and their squad of Champions, the one and only...

Tom...

We've got a little technical problem, so I'm going to pick up here.

Sorry. We have with us Manchester City and their

squad of champions, the one and only Cristiano Ronaldo.

Former England and Chelsea captain, John Terry.

The legend that is Fabio Capello.

The Manchester United duo of Harry Maguire and Casemiro.

Super agents Jorge Mendes, Ali Barat and Frank Trimboli,

and of course, the World cup winning coach Lionel Scaloni.

2023 was a magical footballing year as

footballers around the world left an enduring mark on the beautiful game.

Yeah.

After a year which provided an array of magical moments,

we come together tonight to honor, well, you, the very, very best.

We are live and interactive on all social media platforms,

so don't forget to use the hashtag #globesoccer.

Listen, before we go any further,

I'm sure each and every one of you in this room will know that it has been a sad few

months across the football world as we have lost three iconic figures recently.

Tonight, we here at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards

would like to come together to pay tributes to three legendary World Cup winners.

In October last year, former England and Manchester United icon

Sir Bobby Charlton passed away 86, while at the beginning of January,

just a few weeks ago, we lost brazilian Mario Zagallo,

the first man, of course, to win the FIFA World cup as both player and coach.

And then just days ago, we lost another -

German Great Franz Beckenbauer, the second man to have won the World Cup as a player and coach.

He passed away at the age of 78.

Three men, three greats who left a lasting legacy.

Rest in peace, Sir Bobby Charlton, Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer.

So, on with the show. Yeah.

Without further ado, let's get the ball rolling.

So let's kick off the awards, if we may.

The first award is one that recognizes

the efforts of the stars on the rise, players whose potential knows no bounds,

and the player who's destined to reach the very summit of the football world.

This year, no different, as our list of nominees for the

Power Horse Emerging Player of the Year features the finest young stars who, in fact,

they've already left their mark on the beautiful game.

Your finalists for the Power Horse Emerging Player are...

So we're on to the first winner of the evening.

This is the Power Horse Emerging Player at this, the 14th Dubai Globe Soccer Awards.

And the winner is

England, Real Madrid, midfielder - Jude Bellingham.

Well, sadly, Jude Bellingham can't be here with us this evening.

He's in camp with Real Madrid.

But the latest recipient of the Power Horse Emerging Player award sent us this video.

Hi, everyone. I just want to thank Globe Soccer,

Dubai Sports Council and of course

the fans for voting me for this brilliant award.

Sorry I couldn't attend in person, but I'm very grateful to receive it.

Thank you all.

Thank you, Jude, and congratulations.

Now, also last year there was the crowning of new world champions,

the consolidation of greatness and the rise of emerging forces.

Amongst the glory, there emerged superstars aplenty.

Looking at individual performances,

team contributions and efforts across both domestic clubs and national teams,

we answer the question now of just who is the Best Women's Footballer in the world?

Indeed. So let's move on to your finalists

for the Nakheel Dubai Globe Soccer Awards Best Women's Player.

And the finalists are...

All very deserving winners.

But there is one who has without doubt dominated in the last twelve months.

This award has been sponsored by Esaad and the winner is...

Aitana Bonmati from Spain and FC Barcelona.

So let's hear from the Best Women's Player at the Dubai Globe Soccer awards.

Here is Aitana Bonmati.

Hello, I am Aitana Bonmati.

I would have liked to be here in Dubai with you, but as you know, I have an important commitment with the club.

We are playing the Super Cup in Madrid, so I wanted to send you a message of thanks for the award.

As I always like to say, these individual awards come after a great collective effort.

You also know that this year we were lucky enough to win the Champions League with Barça.

The World Cup with the national team has been a unique and round year,

so I owe it all to my teammates, staff, club workers, directors and the national team.

A big hug and I wish you all the best.

Well, it was only going to be a good reason that Aitana couldn't be here.

She said she would have loved to have been

here in Dubai, but Barça have a game against Madrid in the Super Cup.

She said she's grateful for the award,

but individual honors are the result of teamwork, she said.

There's a bit of a team there this evening, isn't there?

Aitana said she says she owes everything

to her teammates, staff, managers, as well as everyone at the national team.

Yeah. Congratulations to both of our first two

winners of the evening, and thanks again to Aitana for those kind words.

We at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards.

Well, we've got a bit of an announcement for you, a little bit of a surprise.

As we mentioned, not our first rodeo, done a few of these.

But the big news is

we here at the divine Globe Soccer Awards are truly by name and by nature,

going global this year, the football world is bracing itself

for the inaugural event of our very first intercontinental series.

And the first stop,

any ideas?

Well, I'll give you one clue.

It's in Europe.

After more than ten years in Dubai,

the Globe Soccer awards head to the stunning Costas Smeralda region

in Sardinia for the first stop of the intercontinental series.

The inaugural european edition will be held at the iconic Cala di Volpe Hotel

in May 2024, where the best european football talent

will be rewarded for their outstanding achievements.

Sardinia, the end of May.

Sounds like a good idea.

I'm in.

Do join us there.

Right on with the awards.

We'd now like to welcome onto stage

His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,

the Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council,

accompanied by His Excellency Mattar al Tayer,

Vice Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, to present the awards.

Welcome. Thank you for your hospitality.

Now, it has been a year where football

in the Middle East has really captured the imagination.

Domestic and regional brilliance has seen

plenty of focus fixed firmly on the region.

And with several big name arrivals you might just have heard about,

clubs from across the Middle East have really embraced the spotlight.

Consistency and ultimately excellence was

essential in us honoring the Best Club in the Middle East.

Yeah, this one's generously sponsored by our friends at Tatatu.

Let's have a look at the finalists then, for you in this category.

And the finalists are...

And your Nakheel Dubai Globe Soccer award for Best Middle East Club goes to

Egyptian Giants Al Ahly.

Now, collecting the award fo Best Middle East Club of the Year is the president of Al Ahly.

Please welcome to the stage Mahmoud el Khatib.

I understand you want to say a few words.

All yours.

Mahmoud el Khatib, congratulations.

Thank you very much.

Yes, indeed.

Congratulations to Al Ahly and all the team there now.

Right, from facilitating transfers to negotiating contracts,

securing sponsorship and of course endorsement deals.

As you well know, the work of an agent is

extremely rewarding, but also incredibly taxing.

Or so they say. These are the individuals

who look after every aspect of a footballer's career.

And that allows the players to do what they need to do.

Focus on the job at hand, on the pitch. Yeah.

Now, over the last twelve months, we've seen deals which have further

emphasized just how crucial the role the agent plays.

And we are here tonight to pay tribute to those often unsung heroes.

Your nominees are...

So this one is brought to you by X Dubai.

Time now for us to unveil to you the 2023 Dubai Globe Soccer Award

Best Agent. And the award goes to...

Jorge Mendes.

Jorge Mendes and his Gestifute Agency

boast only the finest talents in the world.

The likes of Enzo Fernandez and Gonçalo Ramos.

Congratulations. I understand you want to say a few words.

Good evening.

It's an honor to be here again.

Thank you very much to Globe Soccer for the award.

I'm deeply proud.

Last year was one of the best years ever of my company - Gestifute.

This year I'm going to try again to improve as much as possible to do even better,

with hard work, ambition and passion.

I would like to thanks to my wife,

to all my family, my Gestifute team and managers and players.

Thank you very much and Happy New Year for all of you.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Congratulations. Okay.

From the agents, we now move to the master strategist for the next award,

the individual ultimately responsible for the football operations of any club.

It's now time for us to pay tribute to the sporting directors.

Their duties may vary, but ultimately the sporting director

develops and protects the overall vision and philosophy as well as implementing

strategy required for sustainable success at the club.

The link between the boardroom and the pitch.

A large part of a club's success falls on the sporting director.

Let's have a look at your finalists in this category.

And they are...

Generously sponsored by Emirates,

your Nakheel Dubai Globe Soccer Awards

Best Sporting Director is Cristiano Guintoli.

Guintoli's crown and glory came at the end of last season when Napoli won

the Scudetto for the very first time since 1990, only the third in their history.

This was due to his incredible talent

acquisition, transfer, maneuvering and collaboration with coach Luciano Spaletti.

A move to Juventus followed.

Given his track record,

there is little doubt that success will of course find the Bianconeri.

Cristiano, congratulations.

Please come and say a few words.

Come on.

Thank you.

I am honored to be here tonight.

And for me, 23 is very important year, historical year.

And we won the scudetto with Napoli.

And I would like to thank my president, Aurelio De Laurentiis,

my coach, Luciano Spaletti, all players and all people that worked with me in the past.

Now, the last but not least is important.

I want to thank my family

and for me it's very, very important because they help me to improve every day.

Now, I started with a new adventures

with Juventus and now our objective,

we want to go directly in Champions League and it's possible to win the Cup Italia.

But in the future, I think it's important

to be here again for another award for Juventus.

Thank you again.

Well done indeed to Cristiano.

Well done to all the team. Moving on to the next award.

Often the difference between success and failure.

Not only does the modern day goalkeeper have to be dominant in stopping opposition

attacks, but also well capable of initiating offensive moves as well.

From sweeper, keeper, supreme stopper, the ball playing minder.

There were some blinding performances

that left the football world watching on in awe.

That's why we now pay tribute to the Best Goalkeeper.

Brought to you by Sushisamba,

your finalists for Best Goalkeeper are...

Right then, the winner,

Best Goalkeeper for the 14th annual Dubai Globe Soccer Awards is Ederson.

A shot stopper of the highest quality!

Ederson played a heroic role

in Manchester City's all conquering team, keeping 19 clean sheets in the process.

With his ball playing abilities setting

him apart, even claiming an assist in the Premier League,

Ederson continues to perfect the role of sweeper, keeper and traditional stopper.

The brazilian international has firmly

established himself as one of the best in the world.

A quick photo first and then, of course,

we'll ask Ederson for a few words. Amanda, over to you.

Congratulations.

I think it was a popular choice

in the room, we were talking earlier about the fact that you said the key to this

City success is that Pep is always ten steps ahead.

How tough is that for you as players?

For me, it's so easy to

work with Pep.

I work with Pep, for like six years a half.

I collected some trophies.

It's very important.

I think Pep is very intensive guy, push the team open.

Push the players for me is no different.

Congratulations.

I suspect there might be a little bit more

silverware, goldware heading your way in the not too distant future.

Ederson, the Best Goalkeeper of the Year.

Congratulations.

Yeah, congratulations to Ederson.

Yet another award for Manchester City.

Okay, from goalkeeper,

let's move our way up the field, if we can the driving force,

the visionaries, they're quite simply, well, the conductors of the orchestras.

We're talking midfielders here.

The link between defense and attack.

The midfielder needs to always be one step ahead and often the success of a midfielder

often determines the success of the team as a whole.

Yeah.

As football continues to evolve, so does the role of the midfielder

and in 2023 there were some serious players who raised the bar.

Your finalists then for the Nakheel Dubai Globe Soccer Award,

Best Midfielder are...

The award's been generously sponsored

by Power Horse and the Best Midfielder goes to...

Manchester City's Rodri

Rodri is a player who lives for the big moments. The spaniard cemented himself as one

of the finest central defensive midfielders in the world thanks to his

unwavering consistency and reliability at the heart of midfield,

with his superb shooting ability and innate elegance,

Rodri was ever present throughout City's historic season.

When it mattered the most, he was also a match winner as he scored

the goal which secured City a first ever Champions League crown.

Congratulations again to Rodri and let's hear from him now.

Just a quick word if I may.

There were so many important moments, particularly from you last season.

Perhaps none more so than that goal

in the Champions League final in Istanbul, though.

At what point did you allow yourself to believe it was the winning goal?

Well, I mean, to be fair, I think it was like 20 minutes left.

I didn't thought it was done, but the gap was open.

Of course we were close to it,

but I remember that moment when we all come each other and hug each other.

I was saying, guys, we have the 20 minutes of your lives.

Let's keep pushing.

And you can see in the chances that Eddie

saves in the line and Ruben flicked to the corner like the game wasn't finished.

But when they whistle, I mean, all the motions come into all these years

that we work in the project at the end came succeed.

And I cannot be more proud of myself and my teammates.

I think was unbelievable season for us.

How many times have you watched it back?

I say before, I think it's of course,

so far the most important moment of my career.

Maybe 5000 times, but always it's not enough.

So, yeah, very proud of what I did.

My family, everyone surrounding me is so proud.

So I can only dream about doing it again.

Yeah, I haven't got the math quick enough to work out how many times that is a day.

We're only, what, six months on.

But congratulations, I've no doubt there's many more really special moments to come.

Thank you ever so much and well done.

Please go and rejoin your teammates.

Congratulations indeed.

Okay, let's move to the women's game.

Women's club football continues to reach new frontiers with every passing season.

2023, the standard was raised yet again.

More investment gave more success,

which led to clubs across the world reaching unparalleled heights.

We had league honors, cup success, continental glory.

We are here tonight in Dubai to pay tribute to the very best.

Kindly sponsored by Koora Break,

your finalists for the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards

Best Women's Club are...

The Best Women's Club at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards is FC Barcelona.

It's been another dominant year for FC Barcelona.

They landed their 8th Liga F title at a canter, winning 28 of 30 games,

scoring 118 goals and conceding just ten times.

This was their fourth title in a row.

Having exemplified their domestic

dominance, they have a score to settle in the Champions League.

Recovering from a two goal deficit against

Wolfsburg in the final, they showed their determination.

The 3-2 victory ensured the trophy

headed back to Catalonia for a second time in three seasons.

Accepting the award is Xavier Puig,

the Director responsible for Women’s Football at FC Barcelona.

Congratulations.

Please, the mic is yours.

Good evening everyone.

It is a pleasure for me to represent FC Barcelona in the occasion of receiving

the Best Women's Team of the Year award at the Globe Soccer Awards.

This award, the result of many people

work and the club commitment to women's football.

On behalf of your player, Aitana Bonmati,

I also want to thank Globe Soccer Awards for the Best Player award.

Aitana is currently in Madrid focusing on the Super Cup final that they'll play

tomorrow and we hope will be our first trophy this season.

Thank you again for these awards.

We are immensely grateful.

Thank you very much.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Congratulations to all the team at FC Barcelona.

All right, I think we should take a moment now to honor a couple of careers.

It's a nice tradition of the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards when we

get the opportunity to say thank you to some of the greats of the game.

The Career Award serves as recognition

to those who have scaled the very highest peaks of the footballing world.

Players out there who've captured

the imagination and who provided moments of sheer genius on the field of play.

Our first Career Award has been generously

sponsored by Serie A and it goes to former

England and Chelsea captain John Terry.

Cheers, JT. Well done.

Cheers.

Congratulations to John.

Let's see if we can get a few words.

Come on over.

Good evening, everyone.

It's a huge honor for me to win this award tonight.

I'd like to thank Dubai Sports Council

and Globe Soccer Awards for hosting us all this evening.

Individual awards are fantastic to win

but impossible to do without teammates and managers.

I've been very fortunate to play with some

great managers and some of the best players across the world as well.

I'd like to dedicate this award this

evening to a man that gave me my debut a long time ago,

Gianluca Vialli, who sadly lost his life last year.

Luca was a manager that believed in me

and gave me my first opportunity at Chelsea and I'm very thankful for that.

So, Luca, this one's for you.

I love you and thank you.

Just before you go, if there was one thing that Luca Vialli

taught you, told you that you carry with you, what would it be?

He said to me, I'll never forget it.

He said to me in the showers,

don't do what I do, do what I say, and that stays with me.

I'm just checking, have you got your kids under there?

I have, actually.

And listen, Chelsea, at the moment it's not been the best run for them.

There was a call this week that perhaps you should get in that dressing room.

If you were in that dressing room, what would your message be?

You know what, I think we're seeing cycles.

I think when I look back 10-15 years ago,

Man United were dominating the Premier League.

Chelsea came along,

we dominated for a little bit and now Pep and Man City are dominating.

And I've said it for a little bit now.

It's going to be hard to catch them.

They're the best team, they've got some great individual players

and the way they do it year after year is incredible.

I managed to win the Premier League twice

on the bounce and it's very difficult to do so.

I wish them well. They're a fantastic team.

But unfortunately, Chelsea are a little bit off it at the moment.

But given time, the manager needs time.

Pochettino is a great manager.

I've seen him work on a daily basis.

We're a young squad of players as well,

but we're a long way off of the likes of Man City and Liverpool at the moment.

Congratulations. Enjoy this moment.

Thank you. Well done.

Thank you, everyone.

Congratulations to John.

Well deserved.

Right, enjoy now, as we get into the next of our awards, time now to pay tribute

to yet another star who's secured his place in the history books of the game.

This award is brought to you by Silversands.

Ladies and gentlemen, our next Career Award winner is none other than

World Cup winning coach Lionel Scaloni.

Lionel Scaloni was the architect of one of football's most fascinating stories.

Taking over a struggling Argentina team in 2018, he helped them find a new identity.

Los Albiceleste flourished.

Success of the Cup America in 2021 ended a 28 year drought.

But the best was yet to come.

With Leo Messi at the forefront,

Argentina felt as if they had a date with destiny in Qatar.

After a final for the ages,

Argentina were world champions for a third time in their history.

Scaloni has catapulted into greatness.

So many congratulations.

The mic is yours.

Hello. Sorry for my English.

It's very bad.

I speak Spanish.

Thank you very much for the award.

I dedicate it to my country, to my people.

Sincerely, it has been a movie, a film, what we have achieved.

I dedicate it to them, to all Argentines, to my technical staff,

to Pablo Aimar, to Walter Samuel, Roberto Ayala, Matías Manna, Martin Tocalli, Luis Martín, Rodrigo Barrios

all of them who have helped me to get this incredible award.

To my family, who is here today, my wife and my children, I love you.

Thank you very much. That's all I have to say. Thank you.

So many congratulations.

I don't think we got the answer to whether or not you've persuaded

Leo Messi to stick around for 2026 or not. Tom.

We move on, then to the next of our awards.

Thank you very much indeed for your patience.

All those tuning in around the world,

all of us with us here in Dubai tonight on this evening of winners.

Next up, the quest to be recognized as,

quite simply, the finest club in the world.

It's never ending.

Find the perfect balance, both on and off

the pitch is where the good gets separated from the great.

In 2023, bar was raised.

And in an era when football has been at this most competitive,

there were clubs out there who flourished, which allowed them to excel yet further.

Your nominees for the Best Men's Club are...

For the Best Men's Club,

this year's Nakheel Dubai Globe Soccer awards are...

Time for something a little bit special, I think.

The team who won

the Premier League for a 7th time and 5th in the last six seasons.

The club who also lifted the FA Cup for the 7th time in their history.

The undefeated winners of the UEFA Champions League.

Which, of course,

allowed them to go on to win the UEFA Super cup for the very first time.

And the team who landed the FIFA Club World cup on their tournament debut.

So, any ideas?

Well, the Best Men's Club are none other than Manchester City.

Their status as the Premier League's finest has long been established.

Global success is what Manchester City crave the most.

Victory over Inter Milan, City landed

the UEFA Champions League title for the very first time.

A culmination of years of hard work.

Victory over Fluminense, the final piece of the puzzle was placed.

The city won the FIFA Club World cup,

in the process becoming the first english club to simultaneously hold

the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League,

UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, securing City sporting immortality.

What a season.

What a trophy hall.

Manchester City deservedly named Best Men's Club.

Going to ask the rest of the team to come

up and join us on stage with your teammates.

And Kevin, please come on over.

Maybe you could hand off that trophy to one of your teammates.

Kevin, come and get your hands on another trophy.

Just here.

Come on in, everyone.

Come on in.

Come on. Come on in.

Round for the team pic.

Everybody huddle in.

Huddle in.

Let's hear it one for the Team of the Year.

Manchester City.

So, Kevin, we touched on it a little bit

earlier, but this was the big one, wasn't it, for Manchester City.

Getting your hands on the Champions League at last.

What has that meant for you personally?

Well, it's the one that I missed with this team.

I've been here for nine years and it's been a lot of heartache

going through the Champions League, but last year was amazing.

And, yeah, these guys helped me win this trophy, so I'm very grateful to everybody

for the club, for the guys, and at least I got one.

And going on,

what are you thinking in terms of this year?

I mean, it's looking pretty good so far in terms of repeating the success.

Well, I've seen these guys play all season.

I've just been sitting on the sidelines and these guys are amazing.

They did really well in all

the competitions and this team is ready to go again.

I see the hunger, see the passion, and let's try again.

Sitting on the sidelines and, if reports are to be believed, working on your hair.

What's the secret to that?

Just don't go to the barber.

Congratulations.

We look forward to seeing how it grows and develops, much like the trophy win.

Manchester City. Congratulations, Manchester City.

And Kevin de Bruyne.

Yeah, congratulations to the entire team and a huge thanks to all the team

from Manchester City for being with us here tonight.

So we turn our attention then to the next

of our awards as we come very close towards the conclusion of proceedings.

Still some big awards to be handed out from the world champions and continental

champions, and players with trophy cabinets brimming with accolades.

There's been a steady influx of global superstars right here in the Middle East.

Add to that a plethora of homegrown talent

and football in the Middle East is at its most formidable.

That's been evident in some brilliant performances over the last year.

But who has been the player who delivered the very best and most consistently?

Yeah, this one's kindly sponsored by our friends at Italipreziosi.

And the finalists then, are...

Ladies and gentlemen,

the winner of the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards Best Middle East Player...

I think the roof is about to go off.. Is none other than Cristiano Ronaldo.

It was a magical year for you, Cristiano, and the accolades just keep on coming.

Your 54 goals in 2023 impressively also

secures you the Maradona Award, brought to you by Nakheel.

Extraordinarily, this trophy actually

has the exact replica of the late, great Diego Maradona's foot.

Cristiano Ronaldo further added to his

legacy by taking his talents to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

His foresight made the globalization

of football a reality as the eyes of the world shifted towards the Middle East.

Ronaldo's prowess on the pitch is

undeniable, but it's his ability for making

revolutionary decisions off it which sets him apart.

Now, in Riyadh, and spear in the attack for Al-Nassr, they become the team to beat.

The year 2023 ended with CR7 netting a staggering and world leading 54 goals.

Both for Al-Nassr and the Portuguese National team.

Another Globe Soccer Award for Cristiano.

Let's get a few words with them.

Cristiano, congratulations.

Cristiano, we were talking earlier about

how you used the motivation of some of the criticism.

How important was that first goal that you scored in Saudi Arabia?

Do you remember? It was a penalty, I think.

Yes, I remember. It was a good moment.

It was my first one.

It was good.

It wasn't special because the first one is always special, but it was good.

I was so proud.

I did amazing season.

I have to say thank you to my teammates,

my coaches from Al-Nassr, from Portugal national team, and I feel so proud.

I never won this trophy.

The Best Middle East player and Maradona Award as well.

So I will put

with passion in my museum because it's two special ones and I'm so proud.

I have to say thank you to my wife, to my kids that deal with me every day.

Sometimes I know I'm a little bit boring,

but it's my job to be consistent every time.

So thank you to the Globe Soccer for this amazing award.

And you have said this is about more than just you.

This is about growing football in the game in another region.

How confident are you that the influx of players will continue?

I hope so.

As I say before the league, the leagues start

one year ago to grow and grow, and I'm sure 100% they will continue

to grow because our boss, they decide and they love football.

And in my opinion, the league will be top.

Top.

Well, top, top.

You've got another trophy to collect.

If I can just usher you back over there. This is a pretty special,

the Maradona award, complete with a replica of the foot.

Congratulations.

Yeah, congratulations to Cristiano.

He's going to need all his hands there

for the two trophies as well as he makes his way off the stage.

Right from one tactical genius to another,

the tactical genius is the master motivator.

Strategic excellence may be a fundamental

factor, but leadership, communication and the ability to bring

the best out of any player means success is almost a certainty.

In 2023, there were coaches, coaches whose legacies were enhanced.

And we here

at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards boast an esteemed list of Best Coach nominees.

Your finalists for the Best Coach of the Year are...

The best coach of the year at the Globe Soccer Awards is Pep Guardiola.

With fundamentals surrounding possession, pressing creativity,

Pep Guardiola has been at the forefront of the beautiful game's evolution.

Having stamped his authority in Barcelona

and Munich, Guardiola's status was further elevated at Manchester City.

After dominating the Premier League,

he secured european, then global success in 2023,

the Champions League in June, followed by the Club World Cup triumph.

This is a coach who has an obsessive eye for detail, with the ability to get

the very best out of every player he's worked with.

2023 is a special year for a

Special Coach.

Congratulations.

I'll just bring you back this little bit.

Firstly, happy birthday.

Not a bad birthday celebration, getting your hands on another trophy.

But what does it feel like being the best in the world?

Because we won.

If we don't win, we are not even invited.

So that is the truth.

So to win, there are many, many reasons.

So especially all of them are sitting there.

And of course, we are here in UAE, where Abu Dhabi held unconditionally.

Yeah, really, really happy.

How much do you allow yourself to celebrate the successes?

A lot.

But it's on to next as quick as possible.

But of course we celebrate it.

And especially when the days come through,

the years come through, you'll remember there will be no forgotten for all of us.

That's for sure.

And have you managed to come up with an answer yet?

Which is the best? Your Barcelona team or this one?

It's like as mom and dad to choose.

Both are special. Which is which?

I'm a daddy's girl. Personally.

Sorry. I'm a daddy's girl.

Which is which? No?

Okay.

Congratulations.

Go join the team.

Congratulations to Pep.

Well done to all the Man City team yet again.

Okay, next up, we go back to our career awards.

Our next career award is generously sponsored by Audi Al Nabooda Automobiles.

A big thanks to all the team there.

And it goes to a player who really does

epitomize inspiration, drive and that all important, 'never say die' attitude.

We honor the career, ladies and gentlemen, of Casemiro.

With speed, strength and power,

Casemiro is one of the world's leading central defensive midfielders.

At club or international level.

Casemiro has a defined role and he's

a player whose physical attributes combine seamlessly with guile and goal scoring.

A player who thrives in the big moments.

Casemiro has won an astonishing 25 trophies through his illustrious career

of São Paulo, Real Madrid and now Manchester United.

Congratulations.

I know you'd like to say a few words in Portuguese.

So, good evening.

I will speak Portuguese.

It's better for me.

Thank you very much to everyone.

It's a pleasure, thank you very much to Dubai, Globe Soccer

for this great event.

Without a doubt, for me is a pleasure to receive

an award like this, a great achievement in my career.

I would like to thank my past clubs

São Paulo, FC Porto, Real Madrid Castilla, Real Madrid, and after Porto, Manchester United

Without doubt, without them, I wouldn't be able to win the titles I won.

I wouldn't be able to win in my life, and without doubt, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

Thank you to my wife, Anna Mariana,

always with me in the best and worst moments.

But always with me.

Once again, Thank you all.

Congratulations. Enjoy the moment.

I'm feeling slightly under pressure

with the translation, with so many portuguese speakers

in the room, but Casemiro said he's grateful for the recognition.

Thanks to all the clubs he's represented and dedicated the award to his wife Anna,

who has been there throughout and is with us this evening.

He also said he's only 31 years old and planning to win a whole lot more.

Wouldn't doubt against it, that's for sure.

Okay, into the final few of the evening.

Hope you've enjoyed the evening again down

here at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards, live from Dubai.

So, for clubs who have redefined the game

of football, be that on the pitch or of course, in the boardroom,

the climb towards the pinnacle has been consistent throughout,

from planning and implementation to the accomplishment of goals.

None of this would have been possible without the direction from the club

president, who provides the blueprint as to how clubs strike that perfect balance

in the quest to become a global football force.

Over the last year, there have been clubs who have taken their place in the upper

echelons of the football world and clubs who have consolidated their positions as

global leaders all through the vision and efforts of the president.

Into your finalists then, for the best president at the Nakheel Globe Soccer Awards.

And the finalists are...

The winner of the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards

Best President is Khaldoon al Mubarak of Manchester City.

City's five trophies is a testament to their growth.

Under the leadership of Khaldoon al Mubarak, Manchester City have embarked on a journey

that has seen them conquer all before them.

With their president providing the blueprint, City's seismic influence

on the beautiful game shows no sign of abating.

Yeah, on the pitch, they continue to reach new heights off it.

They've just been a successful club,

posting a Premier League record revenue for the 22 to 23 financial year.

With the City football group expanding its

network to all corners of the globe, a lasting legacy has been created.

A 15 year journey and now City are at the summit of world football.

Khaldoon, maybe we can get a few words with you.

So many congratulations.

We're talking about an era of dominance, but sport has eras and peaks and droughts.

So the question is, how long can Manchester City keep this going?

Well, allow me first to thank

His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammed and Mattar Al Tayer

and of course, all the organizers for obviously this

privilege to win this award. And, you know, I accept the award...

But to be honest, my job is not that hard. When you have...

We just gave you the big sell.

When you have the best players

in the world, when you have the best coaching staff in the world, when you have

the best organization in the world, when you have the best

football director, in Txiki Begiristain, in the world when you have the best CEO,

Ferran Soriano, in the world and of course, having,

and this is the best of all,

the best owner in his Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan

in his unwavering support and his positivity, always.

And of course,

all of this has to compensate for a manager that's, I don't know,

a bit average and of course the best manager in the world in Pep Guardiola.

And let's not forget what makes Manchester City really special.

We have the best fans in the world.

So with all of this, my job is pretty easy.

How long can you keep him? Pep?

Listen, I didn't answer you the first question, so let me just go back to that.

How do you keep winning?

You keep winning with a commitment for excellence.

When you wake up every day

with that hunger, with that urge and when it's consistent in the DNA and the culture

of the club, one of the things I would say I am most proud of is over this 15 year

journey, what you have today in Manchester City is a DNA,

a culture that is in every person that's involved in the club.

And because of that,

when you win 7 Premier leagues in the last eleven years, when you win

three Premier Leagues in a row, the first team since 1991, 1999,

to win a triple, the only other team to win a triple in England.

And this year, obviously we're going to go

for hopefully the fourth Premier League in a row and maybe another triple,

but that hunger, that urge to get better, to win, to constantly want to improve,

never to be comfortable, never to be content,

this is, I think, what makes this team and this organization special.

This is what makes the 15 years, I think, a privilege.

But this is why I think you see a consistency and this is why,

when you look at the future, I think from our perspective we're always

looking at how to get better, how to win more and how to constantly

improve and that's going to be how we build this legacy.

Thank you.

Since we forgot the question. We can pass it.

Ah, I love it.

Great to speak to you.

Congratulations.

Thank you so much.

Yeah, congratulations indeed to Khaldoon.

Doing great to see you, as always.

And well done yet again to all the team behind Manchester City.

Okay, on to the final awards

of the evening as we gear up to our climate, the conclusion of the evening

next award has been generously sponsored by our friends at Nakheel.

Every single professional athlete was...

Well, they started out as a dreamer.

Recognition from their most loyal fans as what the best in the business strive for.

And there is no greater satisfaction

for any footballer here or out there than bringing smiles to the faces of fans.

Fans from around the world, quite literally,

have cast their vote in the hope of seeing their favorite footballer being crowned

the Fans' Favourite Player of the Year

Let's look into the finalists then. And the finalists are...

The Fans' Favourite Player of the year, with an incredible

5 million votes, is Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo continued to underline

his status as one of the world's premier athletes, winning the most Globe Soccer Awards

since 2010, a testament to his extraordinary talents.

Historic move to Al-Nassr marks his significant step in the evolution

of Middle Eastern football and his continued excellence on the field of play,

his tribute to his unwavering dedication to his craft.

Ronaldo has a unique ability to captivate

fans across the globe, drawing boasts from every corner of the world.

It's no surprise he's once again cemented his status as the fans' favorite.

Would you like to say a final few words?

She asks very difficult questions.

So, as you know,

for me, the most important thing in football, it's to make the fans happy,

because it's the people who go to the stadiums to see goals, to see good games.

And if they vote, it's because they have passion for football.

For me, it's a special award because most of the times we don't speak about

the fans, but the stadiums without the fans, if we go back two,

three years ago, to the COVID, when we played with the empty stadiums, it's no good.

The people, if you ask the players,

they don't enjoy, because, as I say, without you guys, the football is nothing.

So, thank you very much to voting on me

and keep support the football and keep support Al-Nassr and Cristiano.

Congratulations, Cristiano Ronaldo, ladies and gentlemen.

And so, my friends, it comes down to this, the grand finale.

The final whistle is just round the corner.

Big thanks to all of you for your patience.

Big thanks to all the millions that have tuned in around the world.

So how do you round things off?

Well, from the sublime to the magical and all the way to the downright

astonishing, superstars from around the football world have really raised

the standards the football loving public were constantly glued to

extraordinary action throughout the year.

Defensive resilience, midfield mastery goal scoring supremacy.

It was a year which will live long in the memory.

Expectedly, some stars shone brighter

and more consistently delivered the spectacular.

So it is time to crown the best of the best.

Your nominees are...

It is quite the list, is it not?

But one of those names has been crowned the final winner of the evening.

Behind this direction, please, ladies,

gentlemen, honored guests, Best Men's Player of the Year

of this year's Nakheel Dubai Globe Soccer Awards goes to...

Erling Haaland.

With a combination of power, pace and intricate movement,

Erling Haaland has scored against some of the world's best defenses.

With the tutelage of Pep Guardiola,

Haaland scored a Premier League record of 36 goals

at 35 league appearances in his debut season.

Also finishes as the top scorer in Sydney's triumphant run for the Champions League Glory with 12 goals.

This once in a generation goalscorer is

seamlessly fitted into a team stacked with creative talents.

His 50 goals in 2023 helps City win five trophies in the year.

So, the final award of the evening,

the crowning glory. The Best Men's Player of the Year at this

year's Dubai Globe Soccer Awards brought to you by

Nakheel, Erling Haaland.

Congratulations.

Just a couple of words, if I may.

It's almost easy to forget at times that it was only last season you joined City.

What is it about this club squad,

this team that has made it so easy for you to settle in and shine?

Well, I think, first of all, the people,

the guys that sit here is a bunch of amazing people.

And then you have the manager, of course, who is not so bad as well.

So, yeah, it's a fantastic club

and the support we players get from the administration and everything

and the leaders in the club is massive as well.

So it's a nice club and I really enjoy being there.

Not a bad job at all.

Have you still got the Champions League as your ringtone on your phone?

Now you've won it and done it?

Yeah, I do.

And I love this competition

and, yeah, it was a big dream when we won it and a fantastic feeling.

Do you know when we're going to see you back?

I hope really soon because I'm getting

a bit sick of not playing, so hopefully soon.

Great. We wish you well with your recovery.

Congratulations once again, ladies and gentlemen.

Erling...

Oh, oh, hang on a minute, I got a bit carried away.

Before we let you go, we've got some special messages from some of your fans.

Just have a look.

Congratulations, Haaland.

Congratulations, Haaland.

Congratulations, Haaland.

Congrats, Haaland.

Congratulations.

"And Erling Haaland..."

Congratulations, Haaland.

Congratulations.

Amazing.

What does that mean when you see that?

Of course, it's amazing.

And what I also want to show with my career is that no matter where you

come from, I come from a small town in Norway.

You can come far.

And, yeah, it's about hard work.

It's about having the right people around you.

And, yeah, it's really beautiful to see. Amazing.

Congratulations once more, ladies and gentlemen, Erling Haaland.

Erling. Congratulations to you.

Erling, we're going to ask you to stay

with us here on stage as we round things up.

Grab that trophy.

Amanda, what an evening it has been.

Another glorious evening right here in the heart of Dubai.

The magical setting of the Atlantis The Palm,

where some of the world's finest talents were honored.

Yeah. The 14th edition of the Globe Soccer Awards

has delivered a spectacle we'd like to call upon all of our winners to join,

hurling up on stage to capture what has been a truly magical evening.

Yeah. We would like you all now to sit back,

appreciate and applaud the star performers of 2023.

A huge congratulations for the simply incredible Cristiano Ronaldo.

Please come and join us.

We're also going to welcome back onto stage

the entire Manchester City team, staff, all the winners.

So, come on on, Man City, let's get you back up.

Including their coach, Coach of the Year,

Pep Guardiola.

Going to ask our Career Award winners as well, of course.

John Terry, can I ask you to come and join us up here?

We've got Lionel Scaloni with us as well.

Lionel, I ask you to join us.

And the brazilian Manchester United,

Casemiro. Could ask you, please, to join us.

We would like to thank

His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,

Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, and His Excellency Mattar al Tayer,

Vice Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, for gracing us with their presence.

We're calling on all of our winners here tonight to join us up here on the stage.

And a big thank you to each and every one

of them taking their time out of their busy schedules to be with us.

Jorge, get up here.

Come and join the party as well.

As we say, a big thank you to all of our

partners, all of our sponsors, and, of course, each and every one of you.

Amanda, bless you. Thank you.

It's been a great pleasure to all those tuning in.

Thank you. We hope to see you here in Dubai next year

and maybe in Sardinia a little later on this year.

From all the teams at Globe Soccer,

specifically the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards.

From all of us here in Dubai, it is: Good Night.