20 December 2004 - Prinz Gets Another Crown

On 20 December 2004, German striker Birgit Prinz repeated as FIFA World Player of the Year despite having what, for her, was a down year.

She had claimed her first World Player of the Year award in 2003, after leading Germany to victory in that year's World Cup and winning a German league and cup double with Frankfurt. But in the 2003-04 season, despite a strong performance from Prinz, Frankfurt finished as runners-up in the Bundesliga and the UEFA Women's Cup. She continued to shine for the national team, scoring 14 goals in 14 matches that year, but ended 2004 without a single team trophy.

Nevertheless, she was a clear favorite for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, finishing with 376 votes, well ahead of second-place finisher Mia Hamm (286).

Prinz won the award for a third time in 2005 after taking another league title with Frankfurt and the European Championship with Germany.