England manager Sarina Wiegman has won the award honouring the best coach of 2025, after winning the ‘Women’s Johan Cruyff Trophy’ at the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
The Dutch coach, who has been in charge of England women since September 2021, led the Lionesses to a 2nd successive European Championship title, after they defeated Spain on penalties in the final. In doing so, they became the first senior England side to win a title on foreign soil.
In her acceptance speech, she said, “The women’s game has grown so far, we have broken records. This is not just a personal honour, I see it as a reflection of the women’s game, we have come so far. With that growth we have responsibility and we have to try and keep our identity, being authentic and inclusive. I hope we will keep fighting against misogyny and racism. Football should always unite and never divide.”
Wiegman has an astonishing record in tournaments, and victory at Euro ’25 was her 3rd in a row; 1 with the Netherlands, 2 with England. In between those victories, she also led each nation to a World Cup final, before losing to U.S.A. (2019 with the Netherlands) and Spain (2023 with England). Other coaches nominated for the award were: Sonia Bompastor (Chelsea), Arthur Elias (Brazil), Justine Madugu (Nigeria), and Renee Slegers (Arsenal).
The Johan Cruyff Trophy, named after the legendary Dutch footballer, is awarded to the best coach of 2025. This is just the 2nd year that there’s been a women’s category, after U.S.A. manager Emma Hayes won the first award in 2024.
