It was obvious that by winning six titles in an almost perfect season, PSG was going to be crowned the big winner at the 16th edition of the Globe Soccer Gala, which was held at the state-of-the-art The Royal Palm hotel in Dubai. Champions League, Intercontinental, European Super Cup, French League, French Cup and French Super Cup winners, Luis Enrique‘s side only missed out on the new Club World Cup. To get an idea of the merit of such an achievement, it is enough to say that in the history of football only two teams have managed to win six titles in the same season: Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2009 and Flick’s Bayern Munich in 2020.
The Globe Soccer Gala was a tribute to the French champion, who has suffered so much over the last decade until winning the coveted European Cup. If six were the titles won, seven were the awards that PSG collected in Dubai: best player (Dembele), best coach (Luis Enrique), best club, best midfielder (Vitinha), best young player (Doue), best sporting director (Luis Campos) and best president (Al-Khelaifi). The president reviewed the arduous road: “It has been a great journey, after so many years of work we have finally achieved this important triumph. It is not about individualism, it is about collective work,” although he then admitted that if he could go back ten years “I would not change anything, today is a different generation with a different philosophy” and ended by assuring that “to continue on this path we must continue to be humble”.
An exceptional year
Ousmane Dembele was named the best player and acknowledged that “we have had an exceptional year although the first part of the season was very difficult, but when difficulties come you have to keep fighting”. Vitinha was chosen as the best midfielder thanks to his football as attractive as it is generous. Desire Doue, the best young player, said that “I am living a dream” and warned that “I will work hard to be the best in the world”. Finally, Luis Enrique did not attend the Gala and did not send a message of thanks, something that also happened in the case of the winner of the trophy for the best player, Aitana Bonmati, who won for the third consecutive year this trophy. It was striking among those present that neither of them sent a video, so their awards went almost unnoticed. Barcelona repeated as best women’s club, despite not winning the Champions League.
Lamine does not want comparisons
Lamine Yamal won three awards, LaLiga’s best young player, best striker and the Maradona award at the Globe Soccer Gala. He shunned comparisons (“It’s better not to compare yourself with anyone, players like Cristiano have been what they are for not comparing themselves with anyone and wanting to be themselves”) and admitted that “last year I was the kid who had just arrived and now I have the pressure of being an important player. Thank God it has gone well”. Andres Iniesta and Hidetoshi Nakata received awards for their entire careers in the world of football.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the award for the best player in the Middle East, warned that he will not stop until he scores his 1,000th goal and proved to be as indestructible as ever. The proof is that he sponsored a new award, the Globe Sport, which transcends football to reward the best athletes, and in its first edition went to his friend Novak Djokovic, who said he was surprised when he was told a few days before. The Serbian tennis player showed with his words that “when you get to 38 years old and it is hard to train because your body hurts, you see Cristiano and what he does and it meant a great motivation for everyone”.
Tribute to Diogo Jota
Undoubtedly, the emotional moment of the Gala was when the famous agent Jorge Mendes called to the stage Joaquim and Isabel, the parents of the late Diogo Jota, to come up to collect the special prize with which the organizers of the Globe Soccer Gala wanted to honor the sadly deceased Liverpool footballer. Diogo Jota died in July along with his brother Andre Silva in a car accident in Zamora. The ovation given to him by all the audience present at the Gala after watching a video about his career was overwhelming.
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