FIFA Football Awards Bronze, Bouhaddi and Wiegman win women's awards at The Best

 Bronze, Bouhaddi and Wiegman win women's awards at The Best

Read what they all had to say on their achievements

Bronze dedicated her trophy to the late Gerard Houllier

The Best FIFA Football Awards™ was a night of celebration of football's finest and a hopeful note to close out a tragic and tumultuous 2020.

Sarah Bouhaddi, Lucy Bronze and Sarina Wiegman took home the main individual awards on offer in women's football. For both Bouhaddi and Bronze, it was the first time for them to win their respective awards and after conquering everything on offer for Olympique Lyonnais last season, domestically and internationally, it was easy to see why this was their year. For Wiegman, it was her second time winning The Best FIFA Women's Coach of the Year after she took home the award in 2017.

All three women took time out to speak with the media in a virtual newsroom after the event concluded. FIFA.com rounds up the best of their reactions.

Sarina Wiegman is seen giving a acceptance speech via video link after winning The Best FIFA Women's Coach award

© Getty Images

The Best FIFA Women's Player: Lucy Bronze

“I’m obviously really happy. One of the first messages I got was from Wendie Renard. We had a little joke that we’ve kept the award in the Lyon family. It’s nice to have that feeling and mutual respect between players.

At Lyon you always have the expectation of winning the Champions League every single year. Every team wants to knock Lyon out, but moving back to Manchester and getting off to a pretty good start and winning a cup final and moving through in the Champions League, it’s a good feeling to be back home and winning trophies on English soil again.

“Given the news this week of Gerard Houllier passing, he was a huge influence at Lyon, and quite specifically with myself. He used to make a little [beeline] straight to me after games and always put his arm around me before big games. I think it was the scouser in him that attracted him to the northern English player like me.

"The players he worked with throughout his career were phenomenal, and for that kind of person to even spend a small amount of time with me was special. Given the sad news this week, the award has to be dedicated to him. It’s a huge loss and I’m just thankful for everything he did for me.”

FIFA_Best_Womens_Player_Winner_2048x1152_Static

The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper: Sarah Bouhaddi

"I would like to share this trophy with my club, and with my president (Jean-Michel Aulas). It’s thanks to them that I am here today. I worked a lot, but they gave me everything I needed to reach the top level.

"I’m grateful as well to all my educators and trainers that I met in the past, since my childhood. They helped me to grow up, to build myself. All I have today is thanks to them. I want to dedicate this trophy to all the people who helped me during my career and who still follow me today."

[On Bronze]: "We didn't want her to leave. Unfortunately, she decided to move. But it has been a real honnor to spend all this time with her, and all these seasons. She is truly incredible. I'm very happy for her. She deserves this trophy."

"We've seen extraordinary progression for eight to ten years now, when it comes to the women's game. There's a lot of progression in tactics and video analysis. Look at the World Cup in France last year, it was a great success on and off the pitch."

FIFA_Best_Womens_GK_Winner_2048x1152_Static

The Best FIFA Women's Coach: Sarina Wiegman

"Of course I’m really honoured. I was already really honoured when I was in the final three. Emma Hayes is doing a very good job at Chelsea and Jean-Luc Vasseur with Lyon as well, who set the standard worldwide all the time. I was a little surprised but I’m very happy and honoured with this recognition.

“When you’re a coach and you don’t have good players, you’re not going to win games. When you don’t have good people around you, you’re not going to cooperate and work well. You need to have a team around you and everyone needs to go in the same direction. I’m the lucky one who can work with the best players in the world.

"We’ve been growing and growing over the years. I have very good staff around me. We work together so well. I’m the head coach so I get the award, but it’s an award for the team and also the Dutch federation, who has put so much effort over the years to get better facilities, to develop the game, to improve the competition. We’re not there yet but we’re growing and we want to take the next step, so you can’t do those things on your own. It’s impossible.

“I don’t talk about my family very much but for me they’re the stable thing. When things are going well with my family, I’m happy and I can do my job very well. If that wouldn’t be the case, then I couldn’t have done my job as well as I have right now. My husband Martin really always supports me and my two daughters have had some very nice experiences too, travelling around and watching the team. Sometimes they miss their mom, too, but we’ve found a way and it’s all okay.”