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The Best FIFA Awards ceremony took place in Zurich earlier today with Bayern Munich superstar Robert Lewandowski winning the biggest honour of the night.
Lewandowski was named The Best FIFA Men's player ahead of PSG superstar Lionel Messi and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who also had extraordinary years in their own right.
The award was voted upon by players and coaches across the sport, picking their top three nominees. Following the ceremony, Lewandowski's votes were revealed to be:
1) Jorginho (Chelsea and Italy)
2) Lionel Messi (Barcelona/PSG and Argentina)
3) Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Manchester United and Portugal)
Jorginho had a stellar year for club and country, winning both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA EURO 2020 for Chelsea and Italy respectively. The midfielder's performances over the 2020-21 season also earned him the accolade of being named UEFA Men's Player of the year.
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, had a roller coaster of a campaign for Barcelona. Despite the club going through a disappointing season overall, Lionel Messi still finished as La Liga's top scorer with 30 goals from 35 appearances. The forward also led Argentina to their first Copa America victory since 1993, while also being named the tournament's top scorer and best player. His achievements over the past year have seen him win the 2021 Ballon d'Or over Lewandowski.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a rather moot year in terms of team success. He failed to win the Serie A title with Juventus in his final season, with Inter Milan breaking the Bianconeri's nine-season monopoly over the Scudetto. Portugal were also knocked out in the Round of 16 at EURO 2020, failing to defend their title. Despite not having much team success, Ronaldo did, however, finish as top scorer in both Serie A and EURO 2020. The forward finished the season with 35 goals from 44 appearances across all competitions.
Lewandowski deserved The Best FIFA Men's player award
Lewandowski received The Best FIFA Men's player award for his outstanding contributions over the past year despite being controversially overlooked for the Ballon d'Or.
Lewandowski scored 48 goals in 40 games across all competitions for Bayern Munich in the 2020-21 season, breaking Gerd Muller's Bundesliga record for most goals in a single season in the process. The striker was also a key part in Bayern's 30th Bundesliga-winning side, while also picking up the 2020-21 European Golden Boot. He ended 2021 with 69 goals from 59 games.
