People often play sports for pleasure or leisure, while some love competition and just play to get their adrenaline going. There are people who play sports because they are professionals, who live by the sport, being good at it and winning trophies. 
No matter the sport, there are plenty of trophies and awards which are considered prestigious. For tennis, it would be winning Wimbledon. For basketball, it would be the FIBA World Cup. What about football? Which awards are the most popular and prestigious in football? What about the trophies? Read on, and find out what the world of football considers the most prestigious.
The Best Category from FIFA
FIFA has its own The Best categories for both men, women and coaches. For both men and women, there are four awards. The best player, the best goalkeeper, the best coach and the best all pro 11. These awards have been awarded since 2017. They are an attempt to revive the old FIFA World Player of the Year awards which were awarded since 1991 to 2009. Each of the 8 awards are awarded every year, based on the footballers and coaches’ performance that same season.
The Ballon d’Or – The Golden Ball
The Golden Ball is an award given to players by France Football, a magazine from France. It is a very popular magazine, one of the rare ones which is still printed on a weekly basis. The Ballon d’Or was once merged with FIFA’s Best Player awards, but have left their separate ways. The Ballon d’Or is a very prestigious award and has been won 6 times by Lionel Messi, the most awarded player of today. He is followed very closely by Cristiano Ronaldo at five awards.
The FIFA World Cup
There are not many competitions which mean as much as the World Cup. Every four years, the best national teams of the world meet and battle for the title of world champion. The prestige comes from the fact that it takes place every four years and that the best national teams from all over the world are there to compete. It is also one of the most popular events in football.
Champions League Trophy
There is nothing like a club in Europe winning the Champions League. There are plenty of great clubs in Europe, but none of them have had a very long reign. Regardless, all of the top teams which qualify for the Champions League fight fiercely to win the trophy. The Champions League takes place every year, so the stakes aren’t as high as they are when the World Cup is on. Every team which qualifies wants to win, so to them, the stakes do not really matter as much.
The world of football has plenty of prestigious awards and trophies. Ever since the FIFA Best series, there are more awards, besides the Ballon d’Or. Championships like the World Cup and the Champions League, as well as every continental championship, are also cherished highly.
