The FIFA Order of Merit is the highest honour awarded by FIFA. The award is presented at the annual FIFA congress. It is normally awarded to people who are considered to have made a significant contribution to association football.
At FIFA's centennial congress they made one award for every decade of their existence. These awards were also handed out to fans, organisations, clubs, and one to African Football. These were referred to as the FIFA Centennial Order of Merit.
The winner doesn't have to be directly involved with football to receive it. One such notable non-footballing personality was Nelson Mandela who won it for bringing South Africa back to international football.
Famous quotes containing the words order and/or merit:
“Men who think deeply appear to be comedians in their dealings with others because they always have to feign superficiality in order to be understood.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“One merit of poetry few persons will deny: it says more and in fewer words than prose.”
—Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694–1778)