Lewandowski facing Messi, Ronaldo for FIFA best player award

It’s Robert Lewandowski’s flip to attempt to cease Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from profitable the FIFA finest participant award. The Bayern Munich ahead joined the 2 standout gamers on the three-man shortlist introduced Friday. Lewandowski’s objectives led Bayern to a sweep of titles this yr — the Champions League, the German league, the German Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

One of his 55 objectives final season got here in Bayern’s 8-2 rout of Barcelona within the Champions League quarterfinals.

Lewandowski might turn out to be solely the second participant — after Luka Modric in 2018 — to disclaim Messi or Ronaldo since their run of FIFA domination began in 2008. Messi has received the award six instances whereas Ronaldo has received it 5 instances.

Two Bayern gamers are amongst these whose profession years had been adequate just for third place in earlier votes, Franck Ribery in 2013 and Manuel Neuer in 2014.

The ladies’s finest participant shortlist contains Lucy Bronze, Wendi Renard and Pernille Harder. Bronze and Renard are teammates who received the European title with Lyon final season. Harder performed on the group that misplaced within the remaining, Wolfsburg.

Harder received the UEFA award as one of the best ladies’s participant in Europe final season. Lewandowski received the boys’s award.

Neither Messi nor Ronaldo made it onto the three-man shortlist for the European award, voted on by coaches of high European golf equipment and media. Kevin De Bruyne was runner-up and Neuer completed third.

The FIFA award was voted on by a four-part worldwide jury: nationwide group coaches and captains, media and followers.

Voting has closed and the winners will likely be introduced on Thursday at a digital ceremony hosted by FIFA.

Bayern coach Hansi Flick, Liverpool supervisor Jurgen Klopp and Leeds coach Marcelo Bielsa are within the working for the boys’s teaching award. The teaching award in ladies’s soccer will likely be between Jean-Luc Vasseur of Lyon, Emma Hayes of Chelsea and Sarina Wiegman of the Dutch nationwide group.

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