Paris [France], September 8 (ANI): FIFA World Cup-winning coach Luis de la Fuente and Premier League-winning Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta were among the nominees for the Johan Cruyff Trophy to be presented at the annual Ballon d'Or ceremony.
The official handle of the Ballon d'Or, the highest individual honour in football, started rolling out the nominees on Wednesday.
The ceremony for Ballon d'Or will take place in London on October 26 this year.
The Johan Cruyff Trophy, honouring the best coaches of the season in men's and women's football, started to be given out in 2024.
Posting on X, Arteta, de la Fuente, Aston Villa coach Unai Emery, Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were announced as the nominees amongst men's coaches.
Nominated for the 2026 Men's Coach of the Year ⬇️
Mikel Arteta - Arsenal
Luis de la Fuente - Spain national team
Unai Emery - Aston Villa
Vincent Kompany - Bayern Munich
Luis Enrique - Paris-SG pic.twitter.com/R6QOpW9j9l
Fuente led Spain to their second FIFA World Cup title this year in July, also their first one since 2010, when an extra-time goal from Ferran Torres helped them beat Argentina 1-0 in the final at New Jersey.
Arteta led Arsenal to Premier League glory for the first time in 22 years, finishing the league with 26 wins, seven draws and five losses in 38 matches, giving them 85 points. He also led his club to a UEFA Champions League runners-up finish, where they lost to PSG.
Emery, who guided Aston Villa to UEFA Champions League with a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, also led them to the UEFA Europa League, the second-tier prize in European football, beating SC Freiburg in the final this year in May.
Kompany, associated with Bayern Munich as a manager from 2024 onwards, earned them a domestic treble of the Bundesliga, German Cup, German Super Cup in the previous season.
Lastly, Enrique made a long-lasting legacy as PSG boss, helping his club to a back-to-back UEFA Champions League title, alongside Ligue 1 (the French top-flight), the French Super Cup, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2025 and their second UEFA Super Cup title win with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa in August.
In women's football, Jonatan Giraldez was nominated for leading Spain's OL Lyonnes club to French Championship, French Cup, French League Cup. The other nominees included: Andree Jeglertz, who guided Manchester City to the Women's Super League 2025-26, FA Cup, Japan women's head coach Nils Nielsen, who guided them to AFC Women's Asian Cup this year, FC Barcelona's Pere Romeu, who led the team to the Champions League, Liga, Spanish Cup, Spanish Super Cup last season and Elena Sadiku, coach of BK Hacken FF, leading them to the UEFA Women's Europa Cup this season. (ANI)
