The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award: How Premier League players voted

On Monday evening, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski won The Best FIFA Men’s Player award at The Best FIFA Football Awards.

It is the second consecutive year that the Polish hitman has secured the award, having scooped the prize in 2020.

The year of 2021 was an incredible one for Lewandowski. He helped his side to a domestic and continental quadruple, including the Bundesliga and FIFA Club World Cup.

On an individual level, the Pole smashed in 69 goals throughout the calendar year. That matched a record set by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013. He also hit 41 goals in the 2020/21 Bundesliga season, breaking a record held by Germany legend Gerd Muller since 1972.

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Despite missing out on the Ballon d’Or in November, he has at least been rewarded in some way for his incredible performances.

Read: Worldwide map shows which countries voted for Messi and Lewandowski

Lewandowski won the award after recording 48 points. In second place was Lionel Messi (43), with Mohamed Salah (35) in third place.

After an awards ceremony such as The Best FIFA Football Awards, what is always interesting is to see who other players and coaches voted for.

National team captains, coaches and media were eligible to vote for their top three players over 2021. In terms of the Premier League, 14 players voted in all.

Let’s take a look at what some of the top Premier League players wrote on their voting paper for The Best Men’s Player awards:

Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur and England)

Harry Kane
Image Credit: Getty
  • 1st – Robert Lewandowski
  • 2nd – Lionel Messi
  • 3rd – N’Golo Kante

As England captain, Harry Kane was eligible to vote in The Best FIFA Awards on Tuesday evening.

Like many, he chose Lewandowski as his winner. In second place was Lionel Messi, who guided Argentina to Copa America success in the summer. Behind him on Kane’s vote was Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante, who played an essential part in Thomas Tuchel‘s side winning the Champions League.

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool and Egypt)

Mohamed Salah Best FIFA Awards
Image Credit: Getty
  • 1st – Jorginho
  • 2nd – Lionel Messi
  • 3rd – Robert Lewandowski

Egypt captain Mohamed Salah voted for Chelsea and Italy midfielder Jorginho as his preferred choice for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award.

Jorginho played a critical role in Italy’s Euro 2020 success and throughout Chelsea’s path to Champions League gold. The deep-lying playmaker was named the UEFA Player of the Year in 2021.

Thiago Silva (Chelsea and Brazil)

  • 1st – Neymar
  • 2nd – Robert Lewandowski
  • 3rd – Jorginho

Thiago Silva voted for national team-mate Neymar as his number one choice for the award on Tuesday evening.

The Brazilian has only managed 28 league appearances across the last two seasons. He has three goals and three assists in 10 games this term. However, he played a critical role in Paris Saint-Germain’s path to the semi-finals, scoring six goals and providing two assists in nine games.

Silva elected to vote Chelsea team-mate Jorginho as his third place pick.

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool and Netherlands)

Virgil van Dijk Best FIFA Awards
Image Credit: Getty
  • 1st – Mohamed Salah
  • 2nd – Robert Lewandowski
  • 3rd – N’Golo Kante

Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk opted to select Liverpool team-mate, Mohamed Salah as his number one choice for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award.

Salah has been in great form for the Reds so far this season. The Egyptian has 23 goals and nine assists in just 26 appearances in all competitions. He currently leads the Premier League goal and assists charts. Only his current spell at the Africa Cup of Nations could see him overtaken in either category over the coming weeks.

Martin Odegaard (Arsenal and Norway)

  • 1st – Karim Benzema
  • 2nd – Erling Haaland
  • 3rd – Lionel Messi

In a slight departure from the voting lists we have seen so far, Norway captain Martin Odegaard chose three forwards in his top three.

Leading the way for the Arsenal midfielder is Real Madrid‘s Karim Benzema. The French striker made a triumphant return for his country at Euro 2020, topping their goalscoring charts with four goals. Furthermore, he netted 36 goals in 48 appearances in 2021 – only four other players scored more.

In second place, meanwhile, is Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland. Odegaard’s national team-mate is one of the most sought-after players in world football. He became the fastest player ever to reach 50 Bundesliga goals in 2021. In addition, he has an incredible 15 goals and five assists in just 13 league appearances this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United and Portugal)

Cristiano Ronaldo Best FIFA awards
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  • 1st – Robert Lewandowski
  • 2nd – N’Golo Kante
  • 3rd – Jorginho

The first thing most eyes will be drawn to when looking at Cristiano Ronaldo‘s votes is the lack of presence of Lionel Messi.

The Portugal captain has instead opted for Lewandowski as his number one choice. Furthermore, Chelsea pair N’Golo Kante and Jorginho made it into second and third place in the thinking of the Manchester United legend.

Who did other Premier League players vote for?

A total of eight other players were involved in the voting in their positions as national team captains.

Liverpool and Scotland defender Andy Robertson chose Mohamed Salah as his number one choice, as did Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka. Meanwhile, Tottenham and South Korea’s Heung-Min Son picked Robert Lewandowski in first place.

Lewandowski was also the first choice of Brighton’s Enock Mwepu, Everton’s Seamus Coleman and West Ham’s Tomas Soucek.

In addition, Tottenham and France captain Hugo Lloris voted for national team-mate Karim Benzema in first place for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award. Aston Villa’s Bertrand Traore also voted for the Real Madrid striker as his first pick.

FIFA has published the complete list of votes for each captain and coach here.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

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