Noël Ott

Noël Robin Ott (born 15 January 1994) is a Swiss beach soccer player who plays as a forward for the Switzerland national team.

Known for his pace across the sand and technical abilities in scoring many goals, Ott came to prominence in the sport in 2014, excelling during the European season; he was named best young player in the world that year. Ott has since become described as an "indispensable" part of the Swiss national team and one of the "5 to 10 best players in the world", something which has been officially recognised multiple times in his career as the recipient of many top accolades, including the Bronze Shoe and Golden Ball at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

He is regularly referred to as the "Lionel Messi of beach soccer". Ott's father, a former amateur of the Swiss third division, inspired him to play association football as a child at six years old. Ott joined Swiss Super League side Grasshoppers as a youth in 2007 and advanced through their junior teams from the under-13s onwards. Meanwhile, aged 9, Ott had begun attending Swiss Beach Soccer youth camps. He was originally tutored by Stephan Meier and Moritz Jaggy, members of the Swiss national team Ott would ultimately play alongside of. He continued to be present at the training camps over the next decade. Following this rejection, Franziska Steinemann, future coach of the Switzerland women's team and a friend of Ott's mother, invited him to play with club side Havana Shots Aargau of the Suzuki Swiss National Beach Soccer League. he made rapid progress with the latter. But, after winning the MVP award at the 2014 Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal in August, Ott suffered a serious injury at the 2015 World Cup qualifiers a month later, tearing two knee ligaments, his anterior cruciate (ACL) and medial collateral (MCL), as well as tearing his meniscus. Upon his return, Ott began a spell of sustained success and wider recognition. He first won the bronze medal at the 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in which he was also awarded the Golden Ball (best player). His performances led him to be nominated for the MVP award at the 2021 Swiss Sports Personality of the Year ceremony – he finished in fifth place with 6.3% of the vote. He then became European champion with Switzerland for the first time when they won the 2022 Euro Beach Soccer League; for the second time in his career, Ott was also named as one of the world's best three players at that year's Beach Soccer Stars ceremony and part of the world dream team, and was also named as the Aargau Athlete of the Year. In 2023, he became European club champion for the first time, winning the 2023 Euro Winners Cup with Kfar Qassem and a second title with Switzerland – the gold medal at the 2023 European Games. Ott marked his 200th cap for his country in a 7–1 friendly win over Denmark on 1 August 2023.

Style of play Ott has described himself as a "whirlwind" who "spins past opponents" and likes to "go one-on-one with opposition players". Stankovic has also highlighted Ott's awareness, decision-making and composure in both shooting and playmaking. By 2022, he had completed training as a human resources specialist.

Cristiano Ronaldo is his idol.