By taking the women’s England national team to glory, Serina Wiegman won the IFFHS Women’s Best National Coach Award. Her soccer career flourished as a central midfielder, then in defense, and later as a coach. Knowing all the intricacies of the sport, she became the brains behind England’s glorious victory at Euro 2022. Nonetheless, Wiegman won the award by a narrow margin, as Spanish coach Jorge Vilda was just a few points behind her.
The 54-year-old was appointed as the manager of the England women’s national team back in September 2021. From then onwards, Wiegman has taken the team to great heights and helped them to achieve immaculate success. Now let’s dive deeper and find out how she and Vilda had a close competition for the award.
Saina Weigman receives the prestigious IFFHS award
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As per IFFHS’s official website, Wiegman and Vilda were the two women’s coaches to have the highest points to win the Award for Women’s World Best National Coach. Interestingly, the Dutch manager outdid Vilda by four points and became the ultimate winner. Wiegman has won the award three times now for her exceptional management in the past. Previously, she received the award for her coaching magic with both the Netherlands in 2020 and England in 2022. This time, she won the grand prize for taking England’s women’s team to the World Cup final for the first time in history.
Her latest achievement is worth appreciating, as it cemented her legacy as the coach who paved the way for a historic moment for England. However, Vilda led Spain to the World Cup victory, which is considered an enormous achievement. While Weigman secured 156 points, the Spaniard earned 152 points, leaving him behind.
There are speculations that the 42-year-old didn’t win the award as internal issues boiled between him and the players. Undoubtedly, Vilda, who has a UEFA Pro License, helped his former team achieve numerous victories. Nonetheless, his management of the Spain women’s national team is not considered ideal for receiving the prestigious award.
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Why Sarina Wiegman is better?
In September, RFEF suspended Vilda from the position of Spain’s women’s national team’s head coach. They connected this decision to the Luis Rubiales scandal. However, the 42-year-old lashed out at the decision, claiming it was unjust and groundless. Vilda was an Ally RFEF president, Rubiales, who kissed the player, Jenni Hermoso, without consent. Following this, the players turned against Vilda and demanded his dismissal.
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They called out his poor management and training methods, and now he has taken on the role of head coach of the Morocco women’s national team. On the other hand, Sarina Wiegman has always been a pillar of support for every player and has worked tirelessly for their progress. Many consider her the best women’s coach England ever had. What are your thoughts about Wiegman winning the award?
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