Lloyd: Being the Best requires many different qualities - THE BEST 2017
 |
| Getty Images |
- Lloyd is "super excited" The Best awards are coming to London
- The Best FIFA Women's Player 2016 speaks exclusively with FIFA.com
- Breaks down qualities that combine to make the best player in the world
Carli Lloyd’s name has become synonymous with The Best FIFA Football Awards as the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup winner took home The Best FIFA Women’s Player 2016 prize. One would think Lloyd has seen and done it all in the game, but in many ways 2017 has been a year of firsts for the New Jersey-native.
In February, Lloyd joined her first club abroad when she signed with Manchester City Women. Lloyd helped the Blues reach the 2016/17 UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals and lift the FA Women’s Cup for the first time.
Upon announcing London as the next host for The Best FIFA Football Awards, FIFA.comcaught up with Lloyd to get her thoughts about the host city and what all goes in to being voted as The Best FIFA Women’s Player.
What will it be like to have The Best FIFA Football Awards hosted in London and what it means to be there?
I’m super excited The Best is coming to London. Having recently signed with Manchester City Women and being in Manchester for a couple of months, I’ve really enjoyed the culture and playing over there. It’s a football culture, so having The Best coming there and promoting the game and the women’s side as well, it’s great for the sport and it’s going to be great overall.
I’m super excited The Best is coming to London. Having recently signed with Manchester City Women and being in Manchester for a couple of months, I’ve really enjoyed the culture and playing over there. It’s a football culture, so having The Best coming there and promoting the game and the women’s side as well, it’s great for the sport and it’s going to be great overall.
What was the last event in Zurich like for you, any personal highlights?
The last time I was in Zurich at The Best Awards, I would say winning was the highlight of the trip. You always go in there with kind of the unknown. You don’t know what’s going to happen, you don’t know if your name’s going to be called, but it was definitely a special moment for me. Probably my other highlight from that trip was the Legends match that we played in and getting to meet (Diego) Maradona. That was a pretty special moment.
The last time I was in Zurich at The Best Awards, I would say winning was the highlight of the trip. You always go in there with kind of the unknown. You don’t know what’s going to happen, you don’t know if your name’s going to be called, but it was definitely a special moment for me. Probably my other highlight from that trip was the Legends match that we played in and getting to meet (Diego) Maradona. That was a pretty special moment.
As national team captain you vote on The Best player. Can you tell us what you take into consideration in your vote and what you think makes the best player?
Being captain and having the opportunity to vote for the best player in the world, sometimes I don’t look for the obvious one. For me the best player in the world encompasses many different qualities—being that complete player, maybe not necessarily scoring all the goals or getting all the glory, but who I think can get out on the pitch and who’s got the tactical awareness, technical ability, mental toughness and character. For me, those are all very important things that encompass the best player in the world.
Being captain and having the opportunity to vote for the best player in the world, sometimes I don’t look for the obvious one. For me the best player in the world encompasses many different qualities—being that complete player, maybe not necessarily scoring all the goals or getting all the glory, but who I think can get out on the pitch and who’s got the tactical awareness, technical ability, mental toughness and character. For me, those are all very important things that encompass the best player in the world.
Are you confident that you can win it again this year? Do you think there’s anybody who will be nominated that people wouldn’t expect?
The Best awards for this year is going to depend on a lot of factors. We’ve got the Champions League and the EUROs. As for the USA national team, we don’t have a major event, but we are competing in very good competitions this year. I’ve got a couple of years left to play. I hope that I am back at least one of those times, to be able to compete and to be able to win it. Obviously winning a World Cup and an Olympics with my team is very important, so for me it’s just really about going out and being the best that I can be, continuing to improve, but I’d love to be back [at the awards] at some point. I’m sure there’s going to be other players who are going to be in the top ten and top three, some may be young or some may be veteran players, but it’s going to all depend on how the year goes. We’ll see what happens.
The Best awards for this year is going to depend on a lot of factors. We’ve got the Champions League and the EUROs. As for the USA national team, we don’t have a major event, but we are competing in very good competitions this year. I’ve got a couple of years left to play. I hope that I am back at least one of those times, to be able to compete and to be able to win it. Obviously winning a World Cup and an Olympics with my team is very important, so for me it’s just really about going out and being the best that I can be, continuing to improve, but I’d love to be back [at the awards] at some point. I’m sure there’s going to be other players who are going to be in the top ten and top three, some may be young or some may be veteran players, but it’s going to all depend on how the year goes. We’ll see what happens.
 |
| https://www.facebook.com/FIFAFootballAwards/videos/1465218323554299/ |