FIFA Order of Merit

The award is presented at the annual FIFA congress.

It is normally awarded to people who are considered to have made a significant contribution to association football.

At FIFA's centennial congress they made one award for every decade of their existence.

These awards were also handed out to fans, organisations, clubs, and one to African Football.

One such notable non-footballing personality was Nelson Mandela who won it for bringing South Africa back to international football.

Pelé was named Athlete of Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999
Johan Cruyff received the award for his contributions as both footballer and a coach
Oscar Tabaréz is the last person to receive the FIFA Order of Merit for his contributions as a coach
The 6th President of FIFA Stanley Rous was also serving is the international referee
Santiago Bernabeu is generally considered the one to whom much of the credit can be given for transforming Real Madrid C.F. into the most successful football club in Spain and in Europe
Miljan Miljanić became the recipient of the award posthumously for his contributions as a coach and the President of the Football Federation of Yugoslavia/Serbia
Jules Rimet is FIFA 's longest-serving president and the initiator of the first FIFA World Cup