Mikel Arteta and Declan Rice were among those snubbed at The Best FIFA Awards 2025 in Qatar on Tuesday, with three Premier League players making into the Team of the Year
17:56, 16 Dec 2025Updated 18:22, 16 Dec 2025
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was snubbed for The Best Men's Coach for 2025
View 2 Images
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was snubbed for The Best Men's Coach for 2025(Image: Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal failed to win a single honour at the The Best FIFA Awards 2025 as a number of Mikel Arteta's players missed out on the Team of the Year.
The Gunners had several players in contention to feature in the XI, but were snubbed as Paris Saint-Germain dominated the side, while three other Premier League stars made it in. Manchester City's Gianluigi Donnarumma, Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Chelsea's Cole Palmer's were the English top-flight's representatives.
Meanwhile, Declan Rice was up for the Puskas Award for his second free-kick against Real Madrid in April, but the midfielder was beaten in the end by Argentine winger Santiago Montiel, who scored a stunning acrobatic goal for Independiente against Independiente Rivadavia in May.
Mikel Arteta was up for the The Best Men's Coach, but he was pipped to the prize by PSG's Luis Enrique after they won the Ligue 1 and Champions League last season. Liverpool's Arne Slot, Chelsea's Enzo Maresca and Barcelona's Hansi Flick were among the other nominees.
Elsewhere, Ousmane Dembele picked up the Best Men's Player of 2025, fresh after winning the Ballon d'Or earlier this year. The PSG forward enjoyed a blistering end to last season, ending the campaign with 35 goals in 53 matches and helped his team win Europe's elite club competition.
Despite failing to win a trophy, Arsenal enjoyed an impressive season under Arteta. They finished second in the Premier League and reached the semi-final of the Champions League.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
View 2 Images
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
The Gunners were in the title race up until a disappointing run during the middle of the campaign where they dropped off and allowed Liverpool to runaway and won the Premier League.
In Europe, Arsenal had an excellent run to the last four, winning six of their eight league fixtures and beating PSV and Real Madrid before falling into eventual winners PSG in the semi-final.
Article continues below
This season, the Gunners have made a phenomenal start to the campaign and look on course to compete on all four fronts. They sit top of the Premier League on 36 points from their 16 matches, while Arteta's side are also at the summit of the Champions League with 18 points from a six games.
Arsenal face Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-final next week, before the Gunners kickstart their FA Cup campaign against Championship outfit Portsmouth in January.
Next up for the Gunners, however, is a Premier League fixture against Everton on Saturday at 8pm. They will be hoping to follow up a narrow win over Wolves on the weekend.