Robert Lewandoski overtook Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for FIFA’s The Best Male player of 2020.
Voting was conducted by a global jury of captains and coaches from the national team, plus selected journalists. Lewandowski scored 52 points, with Ronaldo in second, 38 Messi in third, 35.4
‘It’s an incredible feeling,’ said Bayern talisman Lewandowski, who at age 32 made the shortlist for the first time. Lewandowski joined Luka Modric, the Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder who won in 2018, as the only players in the past 13 years to deny both Messi and Ronaldo the victory.
Lucy Bronze was voted the best women’s player to give England its first individual victory. A Champions League winner with Lyon, she has since joined Manchester City. Bronze got 52 points from the women’s voting jury. Pernille Harder, who helped Wolfsburg to the Champions League final, finished second with 40 points and Bronze’s former Lyon teammate Wendi Renard scored 35 points.
By being named the best coach for a second straight year, Klopp denied Bayern a sweep of the men’s FIFA awards. Jurgen Klopp, who coached Lewandowski at their former club Borussia Dortmund won it for Liverpool’s first PL win. Klopp received the most votes from the national team coaches in the tiebreaker. Marcelo Bielsa of Leeds, the second-tier English champion, was eighth.
Sarina Wiegman, who led the Netherlands to the 2019 World Cup final, was named the best coach in women’s soccer. Son Heung-min’s end-to-end dribble to score for Tottenham against Burnley won the Puskas Award for best goal.
Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford was honored for his campaign to fight child poverty. FIFA made a donation of $100,000 toward his charitable work.
Additional awards:
The best goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich, Germany); Sarah Bouhaddi (France, Lyon).
Fair Play Award: Mattia Agnese, an Italian teenage player who saved the life of an enemy who lost consciousness after a head collision.
Fan Award: Marivaldo Francisco da Silva who walks to see his favorite team play in Brazil for 11 hours.
