The Bosnian Footballer of the Year, since 2008 renamed to Idol Nacije (English translation: The Idol of the nation), is an annual award given to the best Bosnian football player of the year, as well as recognising and awarding other sports men and women, coaches and game officials in the country. The event was held in 2001 under the Bosnian banner for the first time, with Sergej Barbarez winning the most prestigious award for best player of the year, and again in 2003.[1][2][3]

From 2008 to 2013, the awards was organized by sports news/media website SportSport.ba and broadcast on NTV Hayat and was expanded to include many other award categories. Edin Džeko won three Idol Nacije awards in a row.[4][5] Vedad Ibišević and Asmir Begović were the only other Idol of the nation winners. For the 2010 awards, it was decided that former player Muhamed Konjić would nominate 10 players for the main award of player of the year. In 2008 Sergej Barbarez had this honor, while Mehmed Baždarević received the task in 2009.[6]

The show changed format from 2011. It was announced that the ceremony for 2011 would be held before the end of June, and that all future events will take place during the summer, rather than the winter period.[7] The awards will therefore be given for performances during the last season, rather than for the last calendar year.[8] Since the 2014–15 season, the awards are organized and run by NFSBiH.

List of winners

During the days of Yugoslavia, the award was run collectively on the entire former Yugoslavia territory by newspaper Večernji list from 1972 until the breakup of SFRY. Some of the past winners from the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in those times include:

Dušan Bajević (1972, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Velež),
Enver Marić (1973, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Velež),
Josip Katalinski (1974, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Željezničar),
Safet Sušić (1979, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Sarajevo),
Blaž Slišković (1985, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Hajduk Split)
Semir Tuce (1986, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Velež).

Past winners from the modern-day state of Bosnia and Herzegovina include: [2]

Idol Nacije

Edin Džeko is a three-time winner of Idol Nacije - Player of the Year award.
Year Player Club
1996 Meho Kodro Spain CD Tenerife
1997 Meho Kodro Spain CD Tenerife
1998 Elvir Baljić Turkey Fenerbahçe
1999 Elvir Baljić Spain Real Madrid
2000 Hasan Salihamidžić Germany Bayern Munich
2001 Sergej Barbarez Germany Hamburg
2002 Sergej Barbarez Germany Hamburg
2003 Sergej Barbarez Germany Hamburg
2004 Hasan Salihamidžić Germany Bayern Munich
2005 Hasan Salihamidžić Germany Bayern Munich
2006 Hasan Salihamidžić Germany Bayern Munich
2007 Zvjezdan Misimović Germany FC Nürnberg
2008 Vedad Ibišević Germany Hoffenheim
2009 Edin Džeko Germany Wolfsburg
2010 Edin Džeko Germany Wolfsburg
2011 Edin Džeko England Manchester City
2012 Asmir Begović England Stoke City
2013 Zvjezdan Misimović China Beijing Renhe F.C.
2014 Miralem Pjanić Italy Roma

Winner by Category

Premier League Player of the Year/Season
Year Winner Country Club Report
2008 Velibor Đurić Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski
2009 Amer Osmanagić Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Velež
2010 Vule Trivunović Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Borac
2011–12 Zajko Zeba Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar
2012–13 Saša Kajkut Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Čelik
2013–14 Not held
2014–15 Wagner (League Best Player) Brazil Brazil Široki Brijeg
2015–16 Zajko Zeba (League Best Player) Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Sloboda Report
2016–17 Miroslav Stevanović (League Best Player) Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar Report
2017–18 Goran Zakarić (League Best Player) Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar Report
2018–19 Mersudin Ahmetović (League Best Player) Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo Report
2019–20 Not held

Other categories 2019–20

Not held

Other categories 2018–19

NFSBiH held its own ceremony (fifth annual) to award best football players/or game officials of the season in Bosnian leagues.[9]

Other categories 2017–18

NFSBiH held its own ceremony (fourth annual) to award best football players/or game officials of the season in Bosnian leagues.[10]

Other categories 2016–17

NFSBiH held its own ceremony (third annual) to award best football players/or game officials of the season in Bosnian leagues.[11]

Other categories 2015–16

NFSBiH held its own ceremony (second annual) to award best football players/or game officials of the season in Bosnian leagues.[12]

Other categories 2014–15

NFSBiH held its own ceremony (first annual) to award best football players of the season in Bosnian leagues.[13] [14]

Other categories 2013–14

Not held

Other categories 2012–13

Nermin Zolotić Young player of the year season 2012/13 in the Bosnian League at Željezničar.

Other categories 2011–12

NK Široki Brijeg hold the award record for Best organized Bosnian club for an impressive four Premier League seasons.

Other categories 2010

Other categories 2009

Other categories 2008

References

  1. ^ uefa.com (12 December 2003). "Bosnia bows to Barbarez". uefa.com. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  2. ^ a b worldfootball.net (25 December 2010). "Player of the year – Bosnia-Herzegovina". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  3. ^ fifa.com (4 September 2012). "Barbarez: The players can become immortals". fifa.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  4. ^ sportsport.ba (23 June 2012). "Džekin hat-trick: Novi naslov "Idola nacije"". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  5. ^ fifa.com (13 June 2013). "Best-ever Bosnia scale new heights". fifa.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  6. ^ Konjić predlaže Idola Nacije – SportSport.ba | BH FUDBAL Archived 2010-11-06 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Proglašenje Idola nacije krajem mjeseca" (in Bosnian). sportsport.ba. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  8. ^ "Proglašenje "Idola nacije" u subotu u Sarajevu" (in Bosnian). sportsport.ba. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  9. ^ N/FSBiH izabrao najbolje u ligaškim takmičenjima at sportsport.ba, 2 June 2019
  10. ^ Zakarić najbolji igrač Premijer lige BiH, Pirić golman, Slišković trener at Klix.ba, 23 May 2018
  11. ^ MIROSLAV STEVANOVIĆ NAJBOLJI IGRAČ BHT PL at nfsbih.ba, 2 June 2017
  12. ^ "Zajko Zeba najbolji igrač BH Telecom Premijer lige BiH". nfsbih.ba. 22 May 2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  13. ^ "Wagner proglašen najboljim igračem Premijer lige BiH". sportsport.ba. 3 June 2015.
  14. ^ "Wagner najbolji igrač BH Telecom Premijer lige BiH". nfsbih.ba. 3 June 2015.
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