The UEFA President's Award recognises outstanding achievements, professional excellence and exemplary personal qualities. The accolade, first introduced by UEFA in 1998, is usually awarded annually to a football personality who is deemed to have advanced the game's development and success.
The 2021 UEFA President's Award went to Denmark's national football team captain and their medical and coaching staff for their heroic response when Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during a Euro 2020 match against Finland. During the game, Eriksen collapsed unexpectedly, and his teammates quickly formed a protective circle around him to shield him from the cameras, providing privacy while the medical team performed life-saving CPR. Denmark’s captain, Simon Kjær, played a crucial role in comforting Eriksen’s partner and directing the team to support each other. The medical team’s swift response saved Eriksen’s life, and their professionalism and composure were widely praised.
Recently, Eric Cantona has become infamous for his acceptance speech for the 2019 UEFA Presidents Award. Dressed in a flat cap, he began by quoting William Shakespeare's King Lear – "As flies to wanton boys we are for the gods" – before referencing science, war and crime.
Winners Year Winner 1998 Jacques Delors 1999 2000 Guy Roux 2001 Juan Santisteban 2002 Bobby Robson 2003 Paolo Maldini 2004 Ernie Walker 2005 Frank Rijkaard 2006 Wilfried Straub 2007 Alfredo Di Stéfano 2008 Bobby Charlton 2009 Eusébio 2010 Raymond Kopa 2011 Gianni Rivera 2012 Franz Beckenbauer 2013 Johan Cruyff 2014 Josef Masopust 2015 2016 2017 Francesco Totti 2018 David Beckham 2019 Eric Cantona 2020 Didier Drogba 2021 Mogens Kreutzfeldt Frederik Flensted Anders Boesen Peder Ersgaard Jens Kleinefeld Valentin Velikov Morten Skjoldager Morten Boesen Simon Kjær 2022 Arrigo Sacchi 2023 Miroslav Klose 2024 Gianluigi Buffon 2025 Zlatan Ibrahimović 2026 Thierry Henry
References
External links UEFA Presidential Award at UEFA.org