Demystifying the Prestigious POTT Soccer Award
If you‘re a soccer fan, you‘ve probably come across the acronym POTT before. It‘s a shorthand used to recognize the Player of the Tournament or Player of the Week. While these honors have become fixtures in the sport, some mystery still surrounds how players get chosen and what the awards really mean. As a lifelong soccer nut, I‘m going to breakdown everything you need to know about the illustrious POTT and POTW traditions.
POTT – Wimbledon to World Cups
POTT stands for Player of the Tournament and it‘s awarded at the end of major competitions like the World Cup, Euros, Copa America and even the Olympics soccer tournament. It‘s the highest individual honor bestowed at these elite events. Goals and assists are obvious stats weighed, but voters also consider passing, tackling, intercepting and a player‘s overall influence guiding their team.
Here‘s a rundown of key metrics from recent POTT winners:
| Tournament | Year | Winner | Goals | Assists | Pass % | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA World Cup | 2018 | Luka Modric | 2 | 1 | 91% | 15 |
| UEFA Euro | 2016 | Antoine Griezmann | 6 | 2 | 85% | 10 |
| Copa America | 2021 | Lionel Messi | 4 | 5 | 86% | 14 |
The voting process varies – at the World Cup, journalists representing each competing nation get ballots. At Euro 2016, coaches from the 16 teams voted on the POTT. There‘s no perfect process, which leads to inevitable POTT controversies we‘ll get to later!
Similar player of the tournament awards exist in other sports like the Golden Ball in World Cup rugby. But soccer‘s POTT carries a prestige rivaled only by MVPs in leagues like the NBA and NFL.
POTW – Origins in English Football
Shifting to the weekly version, POTW stands for Player of the Week. This honor has its origins in English soccer media of the 1960s/70s. Publications like Match magazine and the London Evening Standard newspaper began selecting a POTW from the English first division. It highlighted top performers and up-and-coming talents on a weekly basis through the long league season.
The concept got a major modern revival in the 2000s. Outlets like BBC Sport, Sky Sports and NBC Sports now regularly announce their EPL POTWs on websites, TV shows and podcasts. It‘s sparked plenty of weekly debate among Premier League fans in the process!
Statistical Snapshots – Analyzing the POTWs
Looking at recent POTW winners, we can see how weekly fluctuations in form and opponents factor into the honor:
| Week | Player | Goals | Assists | Tackles | vs Top 6 Club? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Granit Xhaka | 1 | 2 | 5 | No |
| 2 | Bruno Fernandes | 2 | 1 | 2 | No |
| 3 | Son Heung-min | 1 | 1 | 0 | Yes |
Advanced analytics also give insight into POTW selections. Expected goals (xG) and shot-creating actions help identify players having an outsized attacking influence.
For defenders, stats like interceptions, clearances and blocks make cases for POTW as much as goals do for forwards. Subjectivity still rules the day though – a stellar game against elite competition may boost a POTW candidacy even if the raw stats don‘t jump off the page.
Glorifying Greatness – POTT Icons
Now that we‘ve covered the who, what and how of POTT and POTW, let‘s dive into some of the most memorable winners. These players used sensational tournaments or weeks to solidify their legend.
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Diego Maradona – 1986 World Cup POTT – Maradona was transcendent while leading Argentina to glory in Mexico. His "Hand of God" goal and mazy dribbling runs defined an unforgettable tournament.
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Ronaldo – 1996 Copa America POTT – A 19-year-old Ronaldo introduced himself to the world with his electrifying performances and 5 goals. Brazil lifted the trophy and a superstar was born.
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Lionel Messi – 2014 World Cup POTT – Messi earned this honor despite Argentina losing the final. He scored half their goals and consistently created chances.
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Mo Salah – Feb 2018 EPL POTW – A four-goal explosion against Watford earned Salah the POTW crown during his record-breaking 32-goal season.
Debates and Controversies
With great honors come great debates! Soccer fans are a passionate bunch, so POTT and POTW selections often stir up arguments.
At the 1994 World Cup, star Romario was passed over for POTT in favor of teammate Hristo Stoichkov. Argentines still feel Maradona was robbed of the honor at the ‘86 World Cup too.
Questionable POTW choices also abound. Raheem Sterling‘s selection after a poor showing in Manchester City‘s 2019 thrashing by Liverpool sparked outrage.
Even statistical models have been created to calculate "true" POTWs, named the Accurately Rated Player of the Week (ARPOW). But sentiments remain split – some soccer pundits love a stats-based approach, while others prefer the subjective "eye test".
The Future – Evolution of POTT & POTW
Like soccer tactics and technology, the POTT and POTW honors will continue evolving with the times. Things like improved player tracking data and enhanced visual analysis from tools like Amazon‘s Match Insights promise to provide fresh perspectives.
With VAR video review also aiding referees, perhaps future tournaments may name a POTT who excelled not just in attack but also in unseen defensive actions. Player personalities and media narratives will always sway perceptions too – it‘s unlikely voting politics ever get removed fully from the equation.
But that‘s all part of the fun! The heated POTT and POTW conversations after amazing performances are a staple of being a soccer fanatic. With more leagues and media outlets recognize top talent, the discussions will only intensify from here. Let the debate rage on!
So there you have it – a complete crash course on soccer‘s biggest individual awards. Whether you bleed red for Manchester United or live and die with the Argentinian national team, keep your eyes peeled for the next rising star to take home the POTT or POTW prize. They just might be the next Maradona or Messi in the making!