Andres Iniesta beats Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney to win Golden Foot award
Andres Iniesta has beaten the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney to win the Golden Foot award at a ceremony in Monte Carlo. He is the first Spanish player and the first Barcelona player to do so.
The Golden Foot award is given to players who stand out for their athletic achievements and for their personality. Only active players of at least 28 years of age are eligible and it can be won by a player only once.
Ten nominees are chosen by a panel of journalists, their decision being based both on both achievement and personality. The winner is selected by an online poll, which is open to everyone. As a part of tradition the winner of the award leave a permanent mould of their footprints on "The Champions Promenade", on the seafront of Monaco.
The other nine nominees for the award were Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Manuel Neuer, Andrea Pirlo, Thiago Silva, Franck Ribéry, Touré Yaya, Thierry Henry, and Brazilian women’s footballer Marta Vieira Da Silva.
| YEAR | WINNER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Roberto Baggio | Brescia |
| 2004 | Pavel Nedved | Juventus |
| 2005 | Andriy Shevchenko | AC Milan |
| 2006 | Ronaldo | Real Madrid |
| 2007 | Alessandro Del Piero | Juventus |
| 2008 | Roberto Carlos | Fenerbahce |
| 2009 | Ronaldinho | AC Milan |
| 2010 | Francesco Totti | Roma |
| 2011 | Ryan Giggs | Manchester United |
| 2012 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | PSG |
| 2013 | Didier Drogba | Galatasaray |
| 2014 | Andres Iniesta | Barcelona |
He also has the following individual honours to his name.
UEFA Best Player in Europe Award: 2012
Euro 2012 Player of the Tournament: 2012
UEFA Champions League Best Player: 2011–12
FIFA Ballon d'Or: 2nd place 2010, 4th Place 2011, 3rd Place 2012
Iniesta thanked everyone for the honour via a tweet from his official account.