The list of 12 has been reduced to just three by the voting captains and coaches
We now have the final three names left in the race to be named Best Coach of 2021, as voted for by their fellow beach soccer coaches, as well as the captains of the national teams. The winner will be revealed at the Beach Soccer Stars gala in Dubai on Saturday 6 November.
The final three are:
Mikhail Likhachev (RUS) – Coach of Russia
Nico Alvarado (ESP) – Coach of Belarus
Angelo Schirinzi (SUI) – Coach of Switzerland and Kristall (RUS)
Our three nominees are familiar names on the international beach soccer scene, and each has achieved great things in the 2021 season.
Mikhail Likhachev led his team to winning the biggest prize of all, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, held in Moscow this August. He has been nominated for the Best Coach award twice before (2014 and 2015) winning at the very first edition of the Beach Soccer Stars in Dubai, in 2014. He is the only one of the three names to have claimed the award previously.
Nico Alvarado makes the final three for the second edition running, after having totally transformed the fortunes of the national beach soccer team of Belarus. The Spaniard helped them convincingly secure a place at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup for consecutive editions, and made it all the way to the Superfinal of the Euro Beach Soccer League, where they lost to defending champions Portugal.
Angelo Schirinzi has never won the Best Coach award, despite being nominated in the top three a total of five times, the most by any coach. This season, he led Kristall to another Euro Winners Cup, as well as winning the Russian league and cup, while also taking the Swiss national team to third in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
Brazil’s Gilberto Costa has dominated the Best Coach award in recent years, winning the 2017, 2018 and 2019 editions, but this year will see a new name a top the list of the world’s best beach soccer coaches.
But who will it be..?
