The Samba Gold (Portuguese: Samba de Ouro) is a football award given to the best Brazilian footballer in the world, as awarded by Sambafoot. The inaugural award was made in 2008. The award used to take into account the performance of Brazilian footballers in Europe only, but in 2021 was expanded to include players from all continents. The Samba Gold is determined by three voter panels: journalists, fellow footballers and votes from Sambafoot's online readers. In 2021, a women's award was added for the first time. An award for players aged 20 and under was added in 2022.
History In 2008, the inaugural winner was Milan midfielder Kaká. Manchester City's Robinho and Sevilla's Luís Fabiano placed second and third in voting, respectively. There were thirty nominations, and voting took place from 1 to 30 December. Kaká obtained 25.03% of the vote, with 14.34% for Robinho and 13.65% for Fabiano. In 2009, Luís Fabiano (20.91%) of Sevilla won the trophy, ahead of Júlio César (17.58%) and Kaká (16.35%). In 2010, the prize was awarded to Maicon (12.60%) from Inter Milan, ahead of Hernanes (10.76%) and Thiago Silva (9.56%). In 2011, Milan defender Thiago Silva (16.33%) won the award, ahead of Dani Alves from Barcelona (15.56%) and Hulk from Porto (14.41%). In 2012, the list of thirty candidates was announced on 26 November. Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva (17.70%) was awarded the 2012 Samba Gold on 31 December, edging out Ramires (17.04%) and Willian (10.19%). In 2013, Thiago Silva won for a third consecutive year, beating out Dante in second and Oscar in third. In 2014, Neymar won the award for the first time, receiving a record percentage of votes (29.20%). In 2015, Neymar won the award for a second consecutive year, surpassing the record percentage of votes he received the year prior (37.87%). In 2016, Philippe Coutinho won the award for the first time, ending Neymar's two year reign. In 2017, Neymar won the award for the third time in four years. In 2018, Roberto Firmino won the award for the first time. In 2019, Alisson won the award for the first time, becoming the first goalkeeper to win the award. In 2020, Neymar won the award for a record fourth time. In 2021, Neymar won the award for a second consecutive and record-extending fifth time. Giovana Queiroz won the inaugural women's award. In 2022, Neymar won the award for a third consecutive and record-extending sixth time. Debinha won the women's award, while Endrick was voted winner of the inaugural under-20 award. In 2023, Vinícius Júnior won the award for the first time, ending Neymar's three year reign. Tamires won the women's award, while Marcos Leonardo won the under-20 award. In 2024, Vinícius Júnior won the award for a second consecutive time. Tamires also won the women's award for a second consecutive time, while Wesley won the under-20 award.
Winners Men's football Source: YearFirstClub(s)PercentSecondClub(s)PercentThirdClub(s)Percent2008Kaká Milan25.03%Robinho Milan Manchester City14.34%Luís Fabiano Sevilla13.65%2009Luís Fabiano Sevilla20.91%Júlio César Internazionale17.58%Kaká Real Madrid16.35%2010Maicon Internazionale12.60%Hernanes São Paulo Lazio10.76%Thiago Silva Milan9.56%2011Thiago Silva Milan16.33%Dani Alves Barcelona15.56%Hulk Porto14.41%2012Thiago Silva Milan Paris Saint-Germain17.70%Ramires Chelsea17.04%Willian Shakhtar Donetsk10.19%2013Thiago Silva Paris Saint-Germain24.19%Dante Bayern Munich14.63%Oscar Chelsea8.20%2014Neymar Barcelona29.20%Miranda Atlético Madrid16.39%Felipe Melo Galatasaray16.01%2015Neymar Barcelona37.87%Douglas Costa Shakhtar Donetsk Bayern Munich13.00%Felipe Melo Galatasaray Internazionale9.39%2016Philippe Coutinho Liverpool32.13%Neymar Barcelona27.88%Casemiro Real Madrid13.35%2017Neymar Barcelona Paris Saint-Germain27.71%Philippe Coutinho Liverpool16.64%Marcelo Real Madrid14.43%2018Roberto Firmino Liverpool21.79%Marcelo Real Madrid20.51%Neymar Paris Saint-Germain18.67%2019Alisson Liverpool35.54%Roberto Firmino Liverpool23.48%Thiago Silva Paris Saint-Germain10.46%2020Neymar Paris Saint-GermainBruno Guimarães LyonCasemiro Real Madrid2021Neymar Paris Saint-Germain42.77%Vinícius Júnior Real Madrid14.45%Lucas Veríssimo Benfica10.65%2022Neymar Paris Saint-Germain40.46%Lucas Paquetá Lyon West Ham United14.55%Bruno Guimarães Newcastle United13.31%2023Vinícius Júnior Real MadridNeymar Paris Saint-GermainMarquinhos Paris Saint-Germain2024Vinícius Júnior Real MadridPedro FlamengoRodrygo Real Madrid
Women's football YearFirstClub(s)PercentSecondClub(s)PercentThirdClub(s)Percent2021Giovana Queiroz Levante31.13%Ludmila Atlético Madrid14.45%Gabi Nunes Madrid CFF8.81%2022Debinha North Carolina Courage15.59%Giovana Queiroz Arsenal10.08%Geyse Madrid CFF Barcelona2023Tamires CorinthiansBia Zaneratto PalmeirasDebinha Kansas City Current2024Tamires CorinthiansGabi Portilho CorinthiansLudmila Chicago Stars FC
Under-20 YearFirstClub(s)PercentSecondClub(s)PercentThirdClub(s)Percent2022Endrick Palmeiras28.39%Matheus França Flamengo10.75%Vitor Roque Athletico Paranaense10.13%2023Marcos Leonardo SantosVitor Roque Athletico ParanaenseEndrick Palmeiras2024Wesley Al-Nassr CorinthiansLucas Beraldo Paris Saint-GermainEndrick Real Madrid
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