The UEFA President's Award recognises outstanding achievements, professional excellence and exemplary personal qualities. The accolade, first introduced by UEFA in 1998, is usually awarded annually to a football personality who is deemed to have advanced the game's development and success. Recently, Eric Cantona has become infamous for his bizarre acceptance speech for the 2019 UEFA Presidents Award. Dressed in a flat cap, he began by quoting William Shakespeare's King Lear – "As flies to wanton boys we are for the gods" – before referencing science, war and crime.
Winners
| Year | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Jacques Delors | |
| 1999 | Not Awarded | |
| 2000 | Guy Roux | |
| 2001 | Juan Santisteban | |
| 2002 | Bobby Robson | |
| 2003 | Paolo Maldini | |
| 2004 | Ernie Walker | |
| 2005 | Frank Rijkaard | |
| 2006 | Wilfried Straub | |
| 2007 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | |
| 2008 | Bobby Charlton | |
| 2009 | Eusébio | |
| 2010 | Raymond Kopa | |
| 2011 | Gianni Rivera | |
| 2012 | Franz Beckenbauer | |
| 2013 | Johan Cruyff | |
| 2014 | Josef Masopust | |
| 2015 | Not Awarded | |
| 2016 | Not Awarded | |
| 2017 | Francesco Totti | |
| 2018 | David Beckham | |
| 2019 | Eric Cantona | |
| 2020 | Didier Drogba | |
| 2021 | Mogens Kreutzfeldt Frederik Flensted Anders Boesen Peder Ersgaard Jens Kleinefeld Valentin Velikov Morten Skjoldager Morten Boesen Simon Kjær | |
| 2022 | Arrigo Sacchi | |
| 2023 | Miroslav Klose |