SOCCER 360 AWARDS 2023

A Look back at the Soccer 360 Awards 2023 and how the winners are faring now setting up for the final games of the season and leading into Euro 2024 shutdown. 2023 saw the rise of Saudi Arabian football, Manchester City’s famous treble, Napoli winning the Scudetto, and a whole host of memorable moments. Soccer 360 magazines Ciro Di Brita dishes out our awards for the year.

Roll of Honor

Team of The Year – Manchester City

Manchester City’s pursuit of the Champions League came to a victorious end in June when they sealed a triumphant tremble by beating Internazionale 1-0 in Istanbul. Pep Guardiola’s men found relentless form to pip Arsenal to the Premier League title and then beat rivals Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final to set themselves up for a magnificent treble.

Player of The Year – Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland the Norwegian goalscoring machine won the Premier League Golden Boot last season scoring 36 times, and so far in this campaign has carried on exactly where he left off. The 23-year-old is on track to hit 50 goals in this calendar year, with his highlights including five in a 7-0 hammering of RB Leipzig in last season’s Champions League last 16.

Young Player of The Year – Jude Bellingham

Jude Bellingham was awarded the Kopa Trophy during the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony and the youngster has taken his game to the next level since joining Real Madrid in the summer for €103m excluding add- ons. The former Birmingham City starlet scored 13 in his first 14 matches for Los Blancos and has ruled La Liga right from the get-go.

Goalkeeper of The Year – Marc Andre ter Stegen

Marc Andre ter Stegen was one of the main reasons why Barcelona lifted the La Liga title in 2022-23. The German – who has kept goal for his national team in place of the injured Manuel Neuer – conceded only 20 goals throughout the entire campaign, including only three from the beginning of 2023 up until April 26. His outstanding form has helped Barca return to the top of Spanish football under Xavi.

Goal of The Year – Federico Dimarco, Inter vs Frosinone

There may be some recency bias in choosing this one but Federico Dimarco’s goal from midfield against Frosinone in November stood out as a main contender. What separates his effort from most long-distancegoals is the fact that he took it on the run and the keeper was not that far off his line. What’s more, it definitely looked like he meant it.

Save of The Year – Alisson Becker vs Newcastle

Liverpool’s 2-1 win away to Newcastle United in August was remarkable in many ways, and one of them was Alisson Becker’s incredible stop from Miguel Almiron to prevent the Magpies from going 2-0 ahead against the 10-man Reds. Almiron struck a volley with such ferocity from the edge of the box and it seemed to be flying into the roof of the net, but the Brazilian stopper somehow tipped it on to the bar and then against the post, before clawing it away to safety.

Coach of The Year – Luciano Spalletti

Luciano Spalletti led Napoli to their third Scudetto and the first since the maniacal Diego Maradona years, while playing one the most exciting and attractive blends of football in Europe last season. It became very clear how good a job Spalletti had actually done as his replacement Rudi Garcia only lasted at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona until November.

Signing of The Year – Jude Bellingham

A massive fee like the €103m Real Madrid paid to Borussia Dortmund for the services of Jude

Bellingham could never really be considered as a bargain but the manner in which the 20-year-old has performed at the Santiago Bernabeu has elevated him to signing of the year status. 

Flop of The Year – Mykhailo Mudryk

He might turn out to be a success in the long run, but Mykhailo Mudryk has so far failed to justify why Chelsea shelled out £89m to lure him to Stamford Bridge and beat rivals Arsenal to a deal. Handed an eight-year contract, the Ukrainian has struggled for fluency throughout his first year in the Premier League, scoring only once and finding regular football hard to come by.

Rant of The Year – Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte has a reputation of burning bridges at his former clubs and his post-match rant after Tottenham’s 3-3 draw at Southampton in March will live long in the memory of Spurs fans. Conte alluded to a culture of not being able to perform under pressure and a history of not winning over the past 20 years, when he said, “The story of Tottenham is this.” He went on to criticise his players’ mentality, labelling them ‘selfish’.

Best Comeback – Unai Emery

Unai Emery returned to the Premier League in October 2022 to take over the hot seat at Aston Villa and had a massive point to prove in English football after his stint in charge of Arsenal came to an end in 2019. The man from the Basque country led the Villans from the fringes of the relegation zone and into Europe in his first season and they have continued that outstanding into this campaign where they are in the fight for a champions league spot.

Shock of The Year – Saarbrucken 2-1 Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich’s shock 2-1 defeat to third-division FC Saarbrücken in the second round of the German Cup at the beginning of November caught the footballing world’s attention. Coach Thomas Tuchel rested new signing Harry Kane, a decision that would do nothing for the English striker’s pursuit of a first piece of silverware. Germany’s early exit from the Women’s World Cup also stands out.

Performance of The Year – Spain Women’s Team

Spain’s women’s team lifted the World Cup for the first time in the summer, despite an internal dispute between players, technical staff, and their governing body that saw several players refuse to play for their national team until the situation was resolved. Those absences did not disrupt La Roja on the field as they captivated all the way to the trophy.

Biggest Shake-up – Saudi Arabia spending spree

This summer Saudi Arabia stunned the footballing world by splashing the cash to entice a host of world- class players into plying their trade in the Saudi Pro League. Other than that, the country has brought so-called sportswashing to the next level with one eye on the newly created FIFA World Club Cup and the awarding of the hosting rights of the 2034 World Cup.

Game of The Year – Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United

It may not have been a swashbuckling to-and-fro game between sides attempting to outscore each other, still, Liverpool’s 7-0 destruction of Manchester United at Anfield in March stands out for the ridiculous scoreline alone. The Reds went at the break with a one-goal advantage before United’s capitulation in the second half.

Miss of The Year – Darwin Nunez vs Luton

Darwin Nunez has been lambasted by some sections for his erratic form in front of goal since his arrival at Liverpool, but the Uruguayan still has a good goalscoring record for the Reds. He has missed several presentable chances despite his obvious talent, however his miss at Kenilworth Road against Luton Town in the Premier League in November was a howler of the highest order. 

Best Celebration – Alemmania Aachen

German fourth-tier side Alemannia Aachen’s card-playing celebration in January spawned a number of copycat performances. Jannik Mause’s winner in a 1-0 home victory over Fortuna Dusseldorf II saw several players run to the sideline, pick up some prop cards and cash and pretend to play.

Biggest VAR Controversy – Tottenham vs Liverpool

Tottenham Hotspur defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the Premier League at the end of September thanks to a controversial VAR decision to disallow a Luis Diaz goal in the first half. The Colombian striker was flagged for offside, but replays proved that the goal should have stood. A communication breakdown between the VAR team led to the error and to rub salt into the Reds’ wounds Son Heung-Min opened the scoring for Spurs a minute later, and they went on to lose to a last-gasp own goal.

Best Rule Change – Clamping down on timewasting

Timewasting has been a scourge in the game for many years now and the new rule change that sees additional time for a multitude of offences has meant some games have over 10 minutes of injury time added. It is not popular with players and coaches, but they seemingly fail to realise that the extra stoppage time is largely down to their own gamesmanship.

Immediate Impact Award – Lionel Messi

In arguably the standout transfer of 2023, Lionel Messi opted to move to MLS club Inter Miami just months after crowning his career by winning the 2022 World Cup. The Argentine immediately set about

scoring goals galore and delivered a dramatic upturn in results for his new side, but his impact

transcended matters on the pitch as North American soccer gained record viewing figures.