Montenegrin Footballer of the Year
The Montenegrin Footballer of the Year is an annual award chosen by the team captains and the coaches of the Prva crnogorska fudbalska liga — 1. CFL to determine the best player in Montenegro. It is published by the Football Association of Montenegro. The most successful player is Mirko Vučinić, who has won the award seven times, as well as being the inaugural winner. Stevan Jovetić is the youngest player to receive this honour so far; he was 20 years old when he won the award. The most recent footballer of the year is Stefan Savić for 2020. Before 2006, two Montenegrin footballers were named Serbia and Montenegro Footballer of the Year; Dejan Savićević in 1995, and Predrag Mijatović (for three times) in 1992, 1993 and 1998.
Winners
| Year | Name | Club | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Mirko Vučinić |  Roma | Forward |
| 2007 | Mirko Vučinić (2) | Roma (2) | Forward |
| 2008 | Mirko Vučinić (3) | Roma (3) | Forward |
| 2009 | Stevan Jovetić | Fiorentina | Forward |
| 2010 | Mirko Vučinić (4) | Roma (4) | Forward |
| 2011 | Mirko Vučinić (5) | Juventus | Forward |
| 2012 | Mirko Vučinić (6) | Juventus (2) | Forward |
| 2013 | Mirko Vučinić (7) | Juventus (3) | Forward |
| 2014 | Marko Baša |  Lille OSC | Defender |
| 2015 | Stevan Jovetić (2) | Internazionale | Forward |
| 2016 | Stefan Savić |  Atlético Madrid | Defender |
| 2017 | Stefan Savić (2) | Atlético Madrid (2) | Defender |
| 2018 | Stefan Savić (3) | Atlético Madrid (3) | Defender |
| 2019 | Stefan Mugoša |  Incheon United | Forward |
| 2020 | Stefan Savić (4) | Atlético Madrid (4) | Defender |
Players
| Place | Name | Number of wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mirko Vučinić | 7 | 2006-2008, 2010-2013 |
| 2 | Stefan Savić | 4 | 2016-2018, 2020 |
| 3 | Stevan Jovetić | 2 | 2009, 2015 |
| 4 | Marko Baša | 1 | 2014 |
| 4 | Stefan Mugoša | 1 | 2019 |
2013 controversy
In 2013, Mirko Vučinić won the Montenegrin Footballer of the Year for the seventh time. However, the public opinion was that in 2013, Dejan Damjanović should have been given the award. Damjanović scored four goals in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers (two against England and one against Poland and Ukraine), was announced as the top scorer of the K-League and the MVP of the 2013 AFC Champions League. The media agreed that Vučinić was the best overall Montenegrin footballer, however, Damjanović's performances in 2013 were far better than Vučinić's, who was injured during the decisive qualification matches of the national team.[1][2] Finally, Montenegrin website CG-Fudbal awarded Damjanović "Best Montenegrin Footballer of the Year", according to a poll voted by the fans.[3]
Breakdown of winners
Winners by country
| Place | Club country | Number of wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 9 | 2006-2013, 2015 |
| 2 | Spain | 4 | 2016-2018, 2020 |
| 3 | France | 1 | 2014 |
| 3 | South Korea | 1 | 2019 |
Winners by club
| Place | Club | Number of wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roma | 4 | 2006-2008, 2010 |
| 2 | Atlético Madrid | 4 | 2016-2018, 2020 |
| 3 | Juventus | 3 | 2011-2013 |
| 4 | Fiorentina | 1 | 2009 |
| 4 | Lille OSC | 1 | 2014 |
| 4 | Internazionale | 1 | 2015 |
| 4 | Incheon United | 1 | 2019 |
References
- Bozo Jankovic. "Boske zaslužio crnogorsku zlatnu loptu". Cafe del Montenegro. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- Danilo Mitrović, Aleksandar Radović. "Glasali po automatizmu i inerciji". Vijesti. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- "CG fudbal: Damjanović fudbaler godine". Portal Analitika. Retrieved 26 December 2013.