When Cristiano Ronaldo was named the best in the world for the fifth time in 2017, Robert Lewandowski mocked the election on his Twitter account. It was a nonconformity of the striker with the repetition of the same names, year after year.
For a decade, starting in 2008, the winners were only the Portuguese or Lionel Messi, something that began to annoy other top athletes in world football. Over time, Lewandowski’s goals earned him the recognition he wanted. This Monday (17), the Polish was considered by FIFA the best player in the world in 2021. He had already won the award in 2020.
In the last European season, that of 2020/2021, the striker was preponderant for Bayern Munich to win the German Championship for the ninth time in a row. Last year, he also scored the team’s title goal in the Club World Cup, but the trophy was for 2020.
The top scorer scored 41 goals in 29 domestic league games. He broke the record held by German Gerd Muller, who had scored 40 times in 34 matches in 1971/1972. Lewandowski has been the tournament’s top scorer for the past four years.
He bested competition from Lionel Messi, winner of the Ballon d’Or, presented by France Football magazine, and Mohamed Salah. The choice was made by a combination of votes from coaches and captains of national teams and journalists selected by FIFA.
The Pole dashed the Argentine’s hope of taking the trophy for the seventh time and reaffirming his status as the greatest winner in history. Salah has been trying to be the first best African in the world since Liberia striker George Weah was elected in 1995.
The centre-forward, who is still trying to qualify his country for the Qatar World Cup, has benefited from the fact that there has not been an undisputedly superior player between 2020 and 2021. Chelsea (winner of the 2021 Champions League) and the Italy (Europa champions) did not have any great highlights and won because of the collective.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two names that are always on the minds of those responsible for the choice, also did not show the same football in the last season as in the previous ones. This despite the Argentine having won the Copa América title.
The election confirmed the drought of Brazilian players in the election. The last name from the country to win the award was Kaká, then at Milan (ITA), in 2007. Since then, only Neymar has been a finalist twice. It ranked third in 2015 and 2017.
Alexia Putellas, 27, from Barcelona, ​​won as the best player of 2021. The midfielder was considered the favorite and was elected for the first time. A Spaniard had never won the award. She had already won the France Football Ballon d’Or.
The point guard overcame competition from her compatriot and teammate, Jennifer Hermoso, and Australian Samantha Kerr, from Chelsea.
It was the final victory for Alexia, one of Barcelona’s stars who had the perfect season. He was champion of the Champions League, the Spanish League and the Queen’s Cup.
Brazil also did not have any athlete among the finalists. The country’s last victory was Marta, in 2018.
Champion with Chelsea in the main European competition, the German Thomas Tuchel was chosen the best coach of 2021. He could be Palmeiras’ opponent in the Club World Cup to be held in the United Arab Emirates next month. Also from Chelsea, Emma Hayes won in the coaches’ category.
The Chilean Christiane Endler, from Lyon (FRA), won as the best goalkeeper of the season and was the first South American in the position to win the award. In the men’s, the Senegalese Édouard Mendy, from Chelsea, was considered the best.
A teapot hit against Arsenal, made Erik Lamela, then at Tottenham Hotspur (ING), elected for the Puskás trophy, for the most beautiful goal of 2021. Cristiano Ronaldo and Canadian Christine Sinclair received special awards for the goals scored for your selections. Danish and Finnish fans ended up being voted “fans of the year” because of the reaction when midfielder Erikssen had a heart attack on the field during a Euro Cup match.
The same incident led to the medical team of the Denmark national team receiving the Fair Play award.
The entity that commands football also elected the ideal team of the year, in men’s and women’s.
For men, the lineup was: Donnarumma (Italy); Alaba (Austria), Bonucci (Italy) and Rúben Dias (Portugal); De Bruyne (Belgium), Jorginho (Italy) and Kante (France); Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Haaland (Norway), Lewandowski (Poland) and Messi (Argentina).
Women’s: Christiane Endler (Chile); Millier Bright (England), Lucy Bronze (England), Magdalena Eriksson (Sweden) and Wendie Renard (France); EstefanÃa Banini (Argentina), Barbara Bonansea (Italy) and Carli Lloyd (United States); Marta (Brazil), Vivianne Miedema (Holland) and Alex Morgan (United States).
See the winners of the FIFA World Player of the Year award:
2021 – Robert Lewandowski (Poland) and Alexia Putellas (Spain)
2020 – Robert Lewandowski (Poland) and Lucy Bronze (England)
2019 – Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Megan Rapinoe (United States)
2018 – Luka Modric (Croatia) and Marta (Brazil)
2017 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Lieke Martens (Netherlands)
2016 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Carli Lloyd (United States)
2015 – Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Carli Lloyd (United States)
2014 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Nadile Kebler (Germany)
2013 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Nadine Angerer (Germany)
2012 – Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Abby Wambach (United States)
2011 – Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Homare Sawa (Japan)
2010 – Lionel Messi (Argentina) e Marta (Brazil)
2009 – Lionel Messi (Argentina) e Marta (Brazil)
2008 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Marta (Brazil)
2007 – Kaka (Brazil) and Marta (Brazil)
2006 – Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) and Marta (Brazil)
2005 – Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Brazil) and Brigit Prinz (Germany)
2004 – Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Brazil) and Brigit Prinz (Germany)
2003 – Zinedine Zidane (France) and Brigit Prinz (Germany)
2002 – Ronaldo (Brazil) and Mia Hamm (United States)
2001 – Luis Figo (Portugal) and Mia Hamm (United States)
2000 – Zinedine Zidane (France)
1999 – Rivaldo (Brazil)
1998 – Zinedine Zidane (France)
1997 – Ronaldo (Brazil)
1996 – Ronaldo (Brazil)
1995 – George Weah (Liberia)
1994 – Romario (Brazil)
1993 – Roberto Baggio (Italy)
1992 – Marco van Basten (Holland)
1991 – Lothar Matthaus (Germany)
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