LEW BEAUTY
Robert Lewandowski crowned Fifa Best Player of the Year while Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy scoops top goalkeeper prize
BAYERN MUNICH star Robert Lewandowski has been named as Fifa's Best Men's Player of the Year.
The 33-year-old pipped Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi and Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah to win the prestigious honour.
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Lewandowski's goalscoring exploits have once again been recognised by Fifa after Messi beat him to the 2021 Ballon d'Or award.
No player scored more than the Poland international's 69 goals in 2021.
And the ex-Borussia Dortmund ace, who has retained his award from last year, has yet again been in devastating form this season having banged in 34 goals from 27 games.
Elsewhere, Chelsea star Edouard Mendy scooped the Best Men's Goalkeeper Award after starring in the club's victorious Champions League run last term.
His honour caps a fantastic start to his career in West London having only joined the Carabao Cup finalists in September 2020.
Though he failed to be named in the Best Men's Team as he was overlooked for Gianluigi Donnarumma, who helped Italy win Euro 2020.
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However his Chelsea team-mates Jorginho and N'Golo Kante were named in the XI.
Mendy's gaffer Thomas Tuchel fended off Pep Guardiola and Roberto Mancini to be named as the Best Men's Coach after guiding Chelsea to their second European Cup.
And there were more celebrations for the Blues after Women's boss Emma Hayes picked up the Best Women's Coach Award.
Sevilla star Erik Lamela won the Puskas Award after his emphatic rabona strike in Tottenham's North London derby defeat against Arsenal last campaign.
The Argentina ace broke the deadlock as he fired low into the bottom corner, with Jamie Redknapp dubbing his effort as 'one of the best goals EVER in the Premier League'.
Appearing on the screen, Lamela said: "Thank you so much. I am very happy to win this award.
"In that moment, I didn’t think too much, I didn’t realise how special the goal was, I just kicked it and ran around."
And there was even a surprise honour for Cristiano Ronaldo, who picked up the Fifa Special Award for breaking the world international scoring record.
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The Manchester United man said: “It’s very beautiful. It’s a dream. I never thought I’d beat that record of 109 and now I’m six ahead of it.
“I’m so proud to get this from an organisation I respect a lot. It’s a great achievement and great to be the leading scorer of all time.”
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He added: “I still have the passion for the game. Not just to score goals but to entertain myself.
“I still enjoy training and my motivation is still there, even if I’m 37 soon. I’ve worked hard since I was 18 and still have that passion to continue. I hope to play for four or five more years.”
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