Chelsea Coach, Thomas Tuchel, opted for uncommon words on Monday when he was honoured as best coach after his UEFA Champions League triumph with the English club.
According to him, it was a surprise hitting him in the heat of the club’s preparation for a match.
He described the award as being surreal – novel and more.
“It was a pretty normal day so far at the training centre, I’ve just come from training because we have a game (on Tuesday), but now you opened the envelope and said my name, it’s pretty surreal,” the German coach said.
“I’m overwhelmed, I feel a bit uncomfortable actually. I enjoy the journey and I enjoy the club, it’s a good fit.”
A big winner at the event is Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski, earning the FIFA Best Player for men.
It was, however, another historical night for superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who received a special award for breaking scoring records of all times.
On the women’s side, Alexia Putellas of FC Barcelona Women took the award for best player and Chelsea Ladies’ Emma Hayes for best coach.
Putellas captained the Barcelona to the treble, with the Catalan side winning the Women’s UEFA Champions League, Spanish league and Copa de la Reina last term.
Édouard Mendy and Christiane Endler were named best men’s and women’s goalkeeper respectively.
The Denmark national team, medics and coaching staff received the Fairplay Award for their heroic response after Christian Eriksen collapsed during Denmark’s match against Finland at the Euro 2020.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ceremony was held partially online, with only a few guests and FIFA officials, including President Gianni Infantino, at the event in Zurich.
All nominated players and coaches participated via video link/
