“These are political awards. They want ‘Mr Perfect’. If you speak and say what you think you can’t get them.” – that is what Zlatan Ibrahimović said on most football awards that exist. Well, the good news is that there are awards for which you don’t need to speak and say anything. And have nothing to do with politics. You just have to show what you know on the football field.
The Sofascore Player of the Season award is a globally acclaimed trophy that is honoring players and their excellence on the field based only on objective statistical performance.
With Sofascore Rating, one simple number in front of a complex algorithm that takes into account hundreds of player’s reactions on the pitch, every player on that pitch is rated. No opinions, no subjective feeling, no missed actions. Just simple statistical performance. Because every move counts.
And when the season ends, the player with the highest average rating is the best in the league. Simple as that. And most fair – to be honored just based on continuous effort and commitment, and not on any individual opinion.
New and redesigned trophy
The time has come for that award, which recognizes today’s football excellence, goes one step further and leaves a legacy for tomorrow. With its new and redesigned Player of the Season trophy.
Together with Brazilian football legend Zico, Sofascore has started the Field of Dreams project, to strengthen the focus on the next generation of football players.
Sofascore has renovated one pitch in Zico’s Football Academy. Divided into unique pieces, that field is present on and in every Player of the Season trophy.
Parts of that rejuvenated pitch are incorporated in a new and redesigned trophy and now that it has been done, it will continue making dreams possible for the next generation – symbolizing the roots of every football journey.
Football is more than just a game; it’s a journey fueled by dreams and sustained by persistence. The Player of the Season award from Sofascore represents the effort that every player puts into reaching their goals. I’m proud to partner with Sofascore in renovating a pitch at my academy, where the next generation of football stars will begin their journey.
Zico
To celebrate new football beginnings, Sofascore has organized a friendly match, with football legends like Adriano, Filipe Luis, Maicon, Diego Ze Roberto and many others trying the new field for the first time. After them, kids from Zico Academy did their first training on the pitch, ready to start fulfilling their dreams.
Zlatko Hrkać, CEO of Sofascore, who also played in this match with Brazilian legends, emphasized the global sports platform’s responsibility for paving the way for young players
This initiative goes beyond celebrating current stars; we want to inspire future footballers. Every effort in sports takes you a step closer to realizing your own dreams. Partnering with Zico, a legend known for his persistence and excellence, Sofascore aspires to motivate young players, reinforcing the message that hard work and dedication will pave the way to success. Traditionally, awards have celebrated brief moments of brilliance. The Sofascore Player of the Season Award, however, honors the consistent excellence and determination demonstrated throughout an entire season.
Zlatko Hrkać, CEO of Sofascore
Every trophy weighs around 1,2 kilograms, depending on the old pitch material that is being incorporated in the trophy. And every trophy will consist of three parts:
GRASS – Transparent epoxy resin + playground material
LINES – Concrete
PLAQUE – Polished stainless steel
Carefully designed in the Sofascore prototype lab, the trophy tells a perfect story of each player’s rise to greatness.
First player in the whole world who got to receive the new trophy is Argentinian Ramón Miérez, who was the best rated in Croatian national football league. The striker who plays for Osijek, finished the season with 7.55 and got his well-deserved trophy from Branimir Karačić, Chief Marketing Officer at Sofascore.
The Sofascore Player of the Season trophy is honoring the best players from 50 leagues worldwide. And connects them to their humble beginnings, serving as a reminder of the communities that supported their rise to greatness.
Because a football field is where it all begins, continues, and never ends.
The dream of getting that perfect rating, that beautiful number 10, drives the players, but persistence turns that dream into reality.
And when a player receives that beautiful new trophy, as a permanent reminder of their success, and as a message that this trophy helped other young players to strive, it is a feeling that no one can take away.
