Courtesy FIFA.com

Foglia scoops top award to cap memorable year

(FIFA.com) 4 Feb 2004


Brazilian-born Italian star Adriano Foglia has been named 2003’s best futsal player according to the votes of coaches, journalists and technicians through the website futsalplanet.com. Among other awards, Spain’s Luis Amado took the top goalkeeper prize while his national team boss Javier Lozano was chosen as coach of the year.

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Foglia, who plays in Italy for Arzignano Grifo, picked up 171 points ahead of Brazil’s Schumacher (154) and Lenisio (130) and becomes only the second player to have won the award after another Brazilian Manoel Tobias (4th 113), who scooped the prize in its first three editions. The 22-year old, who finished in 19th position in 2002, featured prominently in March during the Azzurri’s run to glory at the UEFA futsal championship. At the semi-final stage, Italy defeated holders and hot favourites Spain 2-1 with Foglia claiming both strikes.

The matchwinner of the Final, Bacaro, also featured in the top 10 (8th 51) along with Brazilian Falcao (5th 107), Spaniard Javi Rodriguez (6th 95), Ukrainian Koridze (7th 82), Argentine captain Carlos Sanchez (9th 44) a tally equalled by Asia’s top representative Vahid Shamsaee who scored four times in Iran’s 6-4 victory against Japan that earned them their fifth consecutive Asian Football Confederation futsal crown.

Costa Rica’s Barrantes Rojas, who came in 30th, was voted top CONCACAF player, scoring the same number of points (10) as Africa’s best player Mahmoud Abdelhakim of Egypt. And in Blazquez (41st), tiny mountain nation Andorra, lodged between France and Spain, also had a representative among futsal’s best.

Despite the heroics of chubby Italian Angelini (254) in his country’s victory in the European Championship, he was pipped to the best goalkeeper award by Spain and Boomerang Interviu’s Luis Amado (286). The two gained more than double the number of points scored by 3rd ranked Sergio from Spain (103).

It may not have been a vintage year but Spain also came out top in the best coach category. National team boss Javier Lozano was voted ahead of Italy’s Alessandro Nuccorini despite the fact the latter had masterminded the Azzurri’s impressive victory in the European finals. Argentina’s Fernando Larrañaga, who led his team to a historic victory in the South American championship, another success over Brazil in the prestigious Tiger 5 tournament and qualification to the FIFA Futsal World Championship Chinese Taipei 2004, came in 3rd (109) well ahead of Selecao coach Fernando Ferretti (5th 60).

Italy took top honours in the best team category (334), with Spanish club side Boomerang Interviu (228) and Argentina (225) coming in second and third.

The futsalplanet awards have gained increasing respect since their introduction four years ago. And with the FIFA Futsal World Championship taking place in Chinese Taipei in November/December, 2004 looks set to be another exciting year in the world of futsal.