ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI has won the 2020 Best Fifa Men’s Player award – beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the gong.
The Polish striker, 32, was the main man as Bayern Munich completed an historic treble in 2019-20.
Robert Lewandowski has won the 2020 Fifa Best Men’s Player awardCredit: Getty – Pool
Lewandowski beat Ronaldo and Messi, with 11 Ballons d’Or between them, to the prestigious individual awardCredit: Getty – Pool
Lewandowski scored goals for fun as the German giants clinched the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal titles.
And he was placed alongside Ronaldo and Messi, with 11 Ballons d’Or between them, on the three-man shortlist for the award – which recognises achievements between July 20, 2019 and October 7, 2020.
In that time, Lewandowski scored a staggering 60 goals in just 52 games – easily the best tally in Europe and 20 GOALS higher than any other player in the Big Five leagues.
Most-famously, he scored in Bayern Munich’s 8-2 Champions League quarter-final humiliation of Messi’s Barcelona in August.
Just this week, the Polish superstar became only the third player in history to score 250 or more Bundesliga goals.
After winning the award, Lewandowski – who had never even been nominated for the award before 2020 – said: “I feel fantastic and very proud and happy.
“This is a great day for me and also for my club and team-mates.
“This award also belongs to my team-mates, coach and Bayern Munich in general.
Lewandowski helped Bayern Munich win the Champions League as part of an incredible treble in 2019-20Credit: Reuters
“It’s an incredible feeling, really.
“If you win such an award and share that title with Messi and Ronaldo, that is unbelievable and it means so much to me.
“A long time ago, I remember I was longing for something like this and now I can win such an award.
“This really means, regardless of where you come form, all that matters is what you put into it.
“For the entire world this year was difficult, the greatest highlight was winning the Champions League final – such a special day and evening, that was an incredible feeling.
“That was a great moment… then we won the cup and got every title we could possibly win.
“We have a great coach, great team and we all work towards one goal.”
According to the statistics, Messi actually had a stronger year than Lewandowski, despite Barcelona’s struggles – with Ronaldo not even making the top TEN players.
Elsewhere at Thursday night’s show, Tottenham star Son Heung-min won the Puskas award for best goal for his incredible solo strike against Burnley last season.
Manuel Neuer beat Liverpool stopper Alisson and Jan Oblak to the Best Men’s Goalkeeper gong.
But there was some joy for the Reds as Jurgen Klopp won the Men’s Coach of the Year award beating Leeds chief Marcelo Bielsa.
Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Thiago Alcantara were all then named in the Fifpro Men’s world XI.
Manchester United star Marcus Rashford won the Fifa Foundation Award for his ‘inspirational work’ tackling food poverty in the UK this year.
Also on the night, Holland boss Sarina Wiegman won the Fifa Best Women’s Coach award.
Lyon and France star Sarah Bouhaddi clinched the Best Women’s Goalkeeper award.
And England Lionesses star Lucy Bronze won the Best Women’s Player gong, beating Pernille Harder and Wendie Renard.
Marivaldo Francisco da Silva won the Fifa Fan Award after walking 40 miles – taking 11 HOURS – to watch his team Recife play their home matches.
And Italian hero Mattia Agnese clinched the Fifa Fair Play award for saving the life of an opponent after they collapsed on the pitch.
The Fifpro men’s and women’s world XIs were also revealed.
Women’s XI: Endler, Bronze, Renard, Bright, Heath, Boquete, Bonansea, Rapinoe, Cascarino, Miedema, Harder.
Men’s XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Ramos, Davies, Kimmich, De Bruyne, Thiago, Messi, Lewandowski, Ronaldo.
Who will be awarded the best at the FIFA 2020 Football Awards
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
