Chelsea sweep Fifa Best coaching awards as Thomas Tuchel and Emma Hayes win prizes
Chelsea completed a clean sweep of the Fifa Best Coaching Awards, with Thomas Tuchel and Emma Hayes winning men’s and women’s coach of the year, respectively.
Last season, the Blues advanced to the finals of both the men’s and women’s Champions Leagues, with the men’s team defeating Manchester City to win the European Cup for the second time – less than five months after Tuchel was appointed manager.
The women’s team was defeated by Barcelona in their first appearance in the Women’s Champions League final, but they won a domestic treble, which they completed last month with an FA Cup victory over Arsenal at Wembley.
Chelsea also won the Women’s Super League title and the League Cup under Hayes, thrashing Bristol in the final.
At the Zurich ceremony, Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy also won the men’s goalkeeper of the year award.
Tuchel defeated Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Italy’s Euro 2020 winning coach Roberto Mancini to claim the award for the first time.
Meanwhile, Hayes took the award ahead of England manager Sarina Wiegman and former Barcelona coach Llus Cortés.
Speaking to Sky Sports back in May last year, the former PSG boss said: ”It feels very good to be coach here. It has felt like this from the first day and has never changed.
”I’m absolutely happy and it feels like the right place at the right moment to be for me. Hopefully everybody feels it and hopefully that makes me confident and calm.
When asked how he felt about receiving the award from legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, Tuchel said on FIFA’s live stream of the event: “It was a pretty normal day so far at the training centre”
“I’ve just come from training because we have a game tomorrow but now you opened my envelope and said my name, so it’s just pretty surreal and I’m overwhelmed- I feel a little bit uncomfortable actually.”
He then added on future aims as a Blues manager: “I enjoy the journey and I enjoy the club in the moment- the company on the journey is so good, so I’m grateful to have good people around me and to feel so good in such a competitive club.
“We lost a big track to Manchester City in the league but in every other competition, we follow our goals still and we try and be the best versions of ourselves and compete at the highest levels.
“I’m a huge admirer of Arsene Wenger’s work so it’s exciting to be here with you and have this little talk, so I try my best to fulfil our dreams.”
It’s now 1-1 in things won over the last few days on and off the pitch in terms of results against each other, which will come as a relief to the Blues fanbase, who are still reeling from the underwhelming Etihad defeat at the weekend.
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Chelsea sweep Fifa Best coaching awards as Thomas Tuchel and Emma Hayes win prizes
