 Wambach was named the 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year , becoming the fourth woman ever , and the first American since Mia Hamm 10 years earlier , to win the award . Wambach received 20 @.@ 67 percent of the votes from national team coaches and captains as well as select media over teammate Alex Morgan ( 13 @.@ 5 ) and five @-@ time winner Marta ( 10 @.@ 87 ) . During her acceptance speech , she thanked FIFA and President Blatter , her family , coaching and medical staff , and teammates and said , " ... winning any individual award is a total product of the team that you play for . I 've never scored a goal without receiving a pass from somebody else . Thanks to all the fans out there who continue to inspire me and the rest of the team to win as many games as we can . " Wambach was also a finalist for the award in 2011 and 2013 . 
