Tag Archives: International Federation of Football History and Statistics

Suarez Named the World’s Top Goal Scorer in 2016

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Luis Suarez is kicking his way into the history books…

The 29-year-old Uruguayan professional footballer, a striker for FC Barcelona and the Uruguay national team, topped all goal scorers worldwide in 2016 with 40 goals, according to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).

Luis Suarez

Suarez won the IFFHS award for the world’s best top division goal scorer 2016 for the third time in his career.

Suarez came ahead of Paris Saint-Germain’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored 38 goals, and Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain, who notched 36 goals, according to the IFFHS statement.

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo was in fourth place with 35 goals, followed by Benfica’s Jonas with 32, while Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Eran Zahavi was sixth with 31 goals.

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski came seventh with 30 goals.

Suarez now holds the record for winning the award three times with three different clubs in three different countries, according to the IFFHS.

Suarez won the award for the first time in 2010 with Ajax Amsterdam, and then in 2014 with Liverpool.

Among the players who have won this award twice are Ronaldo in 2014 and 2015 and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in 2012 and 2013, though Messi finished in 10th this year with 26 goals.

del Bosque Named National Soccer Team Coach of the Year

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Vicente del Bosque isn’t only the man of the hour… He’s the man of the year.

The 62-year-old Spanish soccer coach was named the 2012 national soccer team coach of the year in a vote organized by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).

Vicente del Bosque
Del Bosque, who guided the Spanish men’s soccer team to victory in the 2008 and 2012 European Championships and the 2010 World Cup, garnered 231 votes from among the soccer insiders and sports journalists surveyed by the IFFHS.

It’s the third time del Bosque has picked up the IFFHS World’s Best National Coach award. He’d previously earned the title in 2009 and 2010.

The Salamanca native picked up almost three times as many votes as the 83 that went to runner-up Cesare Prandelli of Italy, who was followed by Mexico’s Luis Fernando Tena with 70 votes.

Next came German coach Joachim Löw, with 48 votes; Herve Renard of Zambia, 38; Argentina’s Alejandro Sabella, 21; Paulo Bento of Portugal, 16; Jose Pekerman of Colombia, 15; and England coach Fabio Capello, with 13 votes

Messi Ends the Year as the Best Goal Scorer in the World

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It should come as little surprise, especially following his record-breaking year, but Lionel Messi has the best scoring leg in the world…

The 25-year-old Argentine fútbol star for FC Barcelona was the best goal scorer of the 60 main leagues in the world this year, managing 50 goals in 37 games.

Lionel Messi

Messi was also the most effective, with an average of 1.35 goals per match, according to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo ranked No. 2 spot in both categories, scoring 46 goals in 38 games, giving him 1.21 goals per match.

In 2012, 83 players from the 60 leagues scored 20 or more goals, while only 64 achieved the feat in 2011 and just 57 did it in 2010.

The 83 top goal scorers are of 48 different nationalities, with nine Brazilians, six Argentines, four Dutchmen, four Uruguayans, four Frenchmen, four Belgians and three Colombians making the list, says the IFFHS.

The list includes 40 Europeans, 27 South Americans, seven Asians, five Africans and four players from the CONCACAF zone – Central America and North America – but no players from Oceania.