Unbelievable: Pinto da Costa joins Globe Soccer Awards jury panel | OneFootball

On the Wednesday when all the nominees for the 2025 Globe Soccer Awards were made public, one detail stood out on the panel of judges: the unexpected presence of… Pinto da Costa.

The list of jurors appears not to have been updated since the previous edition, so the name of the former FC Porto president remained in the column, where the Portuguese Luís Figo and Deco also appear—curiously, Deco is nominated for best sporting director while also being part of the group responsible for voting on the awards.

It should be recalled that Pinto da Costa led FC Porto for 42 years, from 1982 to 2024, and was succeeded by André Villas-Boas in the April 2024 elections; Pinto da Costa passed away at the age of 87 on February 15, 2025.

The list of nominees includes the names of Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, João Neves, Rodrigo Mora, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luís Campos, Jorge Mendes, Deco, and Roberto Martínez, as well as Sporting, nominated in the best women’s team category.

Nuno Mendes and Vitinha, teammates at PSG, are competing for the best player award; Vitinha also appears, along with João Neves (both European champions), among the candidates for best midfielder. João Neves, the former Benfica player, is also in the running for the best emerging player trophy, alongside Rodrigo Mora of FC Porto. Cristiano Ronaldo is once again in contention for the best footballer in the Middle East award.

Roberto Martínez is one of the candidates for best coach after winning the Nations League, while Jorge Mendes is once again nominated for best agent. Luís Campos and Deco are competing for the best sporting director distinction.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.