Lewandowski Heads 11-man The Best FIFA Award Shortlist

Bayern Munich’s treble-winning Robert Lewandowski joined regulars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the shortlist for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award, world soccer’s governing body announced yesterday.

Lewandowski was top scorer for Bayern in the Champions League (15 goals), as well as the Bundesliga (34), and was a firm favourite for the Ballon d’Or award before it was scrapped this year for the first time in its 64-year history because of the novel coronavirus.

However, the Polish striker can still lay claim to being the best player if he picks up the FIFA award, which will be presented at a ceremony on December 17. His former teammate and current Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara was also nominated.

Joining them on the shortlist are Champions League runners-up Paris St Germain’s forwards Neymar and Kylian Mbappe while Liverpool’s Premier League winning trio of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane also made the cut.

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, the Premier League’s player of the year last season, also made the shortlist as did Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.

SHORTLISTS Men

Thiago Alcântara (Spain / Liverpool FC)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal / Juventus FC) Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium / Man City) Robert Lewandowski (Poland / FC Bayern) Sadio Mané Liverpool FC) Kylian Mbappé (France / PSG) Lionel Messi (Argentina / FC Barca) Neymar (Brazil / PSG) Sergio Ramos (Spain / Real Madrid) Mohamed Salah (Egypt / Liverpool) Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands / Liverpool)

WOMEN

(Senegal /

Lucy Bronze (England / Man City WFC) Delphine Cascarino (France /Lyon) Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway / FC Barca) Pernille Harder (Denmark / Chelsea FC) Jennifer Hermoso (Spain / FC Barca)

Atletico 0-0 Lokomotiv B’Munich 3-1 Salzburg B’Moglad’bach4 4-0 Shakhtar Inter 0-2 Real Madrid Olympiacos 0-1 Man City Marseille 0-2 FC Porto Ajax 3-1 Midtjylland Liverpool 0-2 Atalanta