Madrid 2018: Awards given to best players and teams

A series of awards were handed to players and teams at the 2018 International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Blind Football World Championships in Madrid, Spain.

Top Scorer went to Brazil’s Ricardinho who netted a total of 10 goals across six games. That included the opener in Brazil’s 2-0 win over Argentina in Sunday’s (17 June) final which was also a candidate for Best Goal.

The other nominees for Best Goal were Thailand’s Panyawat Kupan, Russia’s* Andrei Tikhonov and Argentina’s Maxi Espinillo.

Kupan scored an impressive goal against Spain in the opening match of Madrid 2018. He dribbled past all four defenders and fired the ball into the top left corner to equalise at 1-1 and score his country’s first World Championship goal.

Espinillo’s successful shot against England in the quarter-finals, which Argentina went on to win on penalties, impressed everyone who was watching.

But the award went to Tikhonov. His stunning back-heel against Spain in the quarter-final sent the hosts out of medal contention.

Team of the Tournament includes Spain’s goalkeeper Sergio Rodriguez, Argentina’s Froilan Padilla, China’s star striker Wei Jiansen, Ricardinho and Turkey’s Hasan Satay.

England’s Dylan Malpas was awarded Best Goalkeeper.

The Fair Play award was given to Asian champions and Madrid 2018 bronze medallists China.

The 2018 IBSA Blind Football World Championships ran from 7-17 June. The competition featured 16 teams including debuts for Mexico, Central American champions Costa Rica, Mali, European champions Russia, Thailand and Iran to make it the biggest in history.

Full results are available on Madrid 2018's website.

*Editor's note: The International Paralympic Committee suspended the Russian Paralympic Committee on 7 August 2016 for its inability to fulfil its IPC membership responsibilities and obligations, in particular its obligation to comply with the IPC Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Code (to which it is also a signatory). As a result of the suspension, Russian athletes cannot enter IPC sanctioned events or competitions, including the Paralympic Games.