In 2021, Monaco hosted the 19th Golden Foot Awards, an international football prize combining sporting achievement with one of the Principality’s distinctive traditions: the Champions Promenade.
Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s victory in 2020, ten prominent footballers were shortlisted for the next award. The 2021 Golden Foot was ultimately won by Mohamed Salah.
What is the Golden Foot?
The Golden Foot is an international football award created in Monaco in 2003.
At the time of the 2021 edition, it was awarded to active footballers aged 28 or over who had distinguished themselves through individual and team achievements during their careers.
One of the defining rules of the Golden Foot is that a footballer can win the award only once.
The winner also earns the right to leave permanent footprints on Monaco’s famous Champions Promenade, alongside other major names in world football.
Golden Foot 2021 nominees
The selection committee chose ten players to compete for the 19th Golden Foot Award:
- Lionel Messi;
- Robert Lewandowski;
- Giorgio Chiellini;
- Neymar;
- Mohamed Salah;
- Sergio Ramos;
- Sergio Agüero;
- Gerard Piqué;
- Karim Benzema;
- Romelu Lukaku.
The shortlist brought together winners of major domestic and international honours and some of the most recognisable footballers of their generation.
How was the winner selected?
Once the ten nominees had been selected, the final choice was made through an online vote involving football fans.
The winner received not only the award itself but also a place on the Champions Promenade, Monaco’s permanent tribute to leading figures in football.
Mohamed Salah wins the Golden Foot 2021
The 19th Golden Foot Awards ceremony took place on 29 November 2021 at the Fairmont Monte-Carlo.
The award went to Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah, then playing for Liverpool FC.
Salah therefore joined a list of Golden Foot winners that already included Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modrić, Andrés Iniesta, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Didier Drogba, Gianluigi Buffon and other major names in football.
The Champions Promenade in Monaco
One feature that distinguishes the Golden Foot from many other football awards is its close connection with Monaco. Winners leave their footprints on the Champions Promenade, turning their achievement into part of a permanent display in the Principality.
The tradition brings together contemporary champions and legends of previous generations, making the Golden Foot both an annual award and part of Monaco’s football heritage.
Further information about the award and its winners is available on the official Golden Foot website.
