Lausanne, Feb 14 Netherlands women's captain Eva de Goede has been named as the 2019 FIH Women's Player of the Year. The midfielder took the prize ahead of Argentina's Carla Rebecchi and Janne Müller-Wieland of Germany, who finished second and third respectively.
This is the second consecutive year that the 30-year-old has won the Player of the Year award in a career spanning 14 years.
de Goede has been a fixture of the Netherlands' team since her debut in 2006. In 2018, she was part of the team that won the Women's World Cup and just a few months later she was voted Player of the Tournament at the last Hockey Champions Trophy in China.
2019 saw de Goede continuing her great form, only now with the added pressure of wearing the captain's armband. She led her team to victory in the inaugural FIH Hockey Pro League where the team lost only one game and then gold at the EuroHockey Championships in Antwerp, where they beat Germany in the final.
She has played more than 230 matches for the Netherlands and has two Olympic gold medals (Beijing 2008 and London 2012), two World Cup gold medals and three Champions Trophy gold medals to her name.
In men's category, India captain Manpreet Singh has been named Player of the Year award. Manpreet is the first member of the India national team to win the Best Player award since the awards were instigated in 1999.
The midfielder won the accolade ahead of Belgium's Arthur van Doren and Lucas Vila of Argentina, who finished second and third respectively.
( With inputs from IANS )