Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah will butt heads for the honour of being crowned The Best FIFA Men’s Player of 2021.
The trio were part of an initial shortlist alongside Karim Benzema, Kevin De Bruyne, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, but made it through the first stages of voting to earn a place on the final ballot.
Lewandowski took home the prize in 2020 and the Bayern Munich hitman is looking to retain his honour, having bagged 69 goals in all competitions throughout 2021.
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The Pole was many fans’ favourite to pick up the 2021 Ballon d’Or – an award even eventual winner Messi admitted he deserved in 2020 – but he still has one more chance to pick up a prize for his excellent year.
Messi finished third in the standings last year after winning The Best award in 2019, and the reigning Ballon d’Or winner will be hoping for a clean sweep of the awards this year.
Following his move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, Messi has struggled to showcase his best form, but he was typically excellent towards the end of his Barcelona career and led Argentina to Copa America glory in the summer.
Finally, Salah will be optimistic of his chances after ending 2021 as one of the most in-form players on the planet.
The Liverpool man had a slow start to the calendar year but has exploded in 2021/22, racking up 23 goals and nine assists in just 26 games across both the Premier League and the Champions League.
SOURCE: 90MINS
