Claudio Ranieri said winning the FIFA Coach of the Year award was a 'tribute to all of Leicester City' for their unlikely Premier League triumph last season.
The Italian admitted that he had been preparing for a relegation battle after taking the reins in July 2015, but the Foxes defied odds of up to 5000/1 to claim their first ever top-flight crown.
While his side are struggling to replicate that form in the league this time around, they have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League in their maiden campaign.
"I feel very honoured to have won. It is a tribute to all of Leicester City," said Ranieri, who edged Portugal's Euro 2016-winning boss Fernando Santos and Real Madrid's European Cup winner Zinedine Zidane to the prize.
"To have achieved what we did last season is still an incredible thing and it still makes me very emotional.
“It’s unbelievable what happened last season in the Premier League, it’s one of the most important leagues in the world, and the little team won the title.
“We were ready to battle for relegation, to be safe, and slowly, slowly we won the title - and that’s something unbelievable.
"The whole club has been fantastic in the way that it has supported me in my work, which has enabled me to win this award. Without them none of this would be possible.
"We can all be proud of our achievements at Leicester City and I'm positive that there is more to come from this magnificent club."
Ranieri was honoured at the inaugural Best FIFA Football Awards in Zurich, where Real Madrid and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo scooped the Best Player gong.
The player and coach awards were voted on (25% each) by national team captains, national team managers, journalists and the general public.
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill opted for Gareth Bale, Gianluigi Buffon and former Leicester midfielder N'Golo Kanté as his players of the year while Ireland captain Seamus Coleman plumped for winner Ronaldo and Barcelona pair Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Both O'Neill and Coleman opted for Ranieri as their coach of the year, with O'Neill also giving a vote to Welsh counterpart Chris Coleman.
"Fantastic evening for me to be here, and to win this award I'm very crazy now," said Ranieri. "Thank you so much for voting me.
"I thank my family, my wife, my agent, my chairman, my players, without the players it’s very difficult for me to win anything and I thank the fans.
"The god of football said Leicester must win, and they did. they did. Before Dani Alves said at 30 he can do some more. I am 65 and I start now, thank you so much to everybody."
