Will Mohamed Salah pip Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski to bag FIFA Best Player Award 2021?
The nominations for FIFA The Best 2021 awards are here. Cristiano Ronaldo has been snubbed. Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Mohamed Salah happen to be the three top nominees.
FollowAfter the Ballon d'Or, it's the turn of FIFA The Best 2021 awards. The nominations for the same were announced on Friday night. As for the men, there happened to be a notable snub in the form of Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo. The Manchester United striker was also snubbed for the Ballon d'Or last month.
Meanwhile, as for the best three nominees, they indeed happen to be the three best. Poland's Robert Lewandowski and Egypt's Mohamed Salah have joined Argentine superstar Lionel Messi. Among the other notable ones to miss out on are France's Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe.
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However, Messi's inclusion has raised eyebrows again, while his win during the Ballon d'Or stirred a fan backlash. Many tipped Lewandowski as the frontrunner to win the same, who has been glorious of late. In the meantime, we analyse who among the three are the favourites to walk away with this award.
Lewandowski
The Polish phenomenon has been incredible for the past couple of seasons, even winning the UEFA Champions League (UCL) 2019-20. On the other hand, he continues his goal-scoring spree in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich. In 2021, he scored 69 goals for Munich and Poland, besides breaking a couple of Bundesliga records last year, both held by Gerd Mueller. He won a treble last season, making him undoubtedly a solid favourite to win his second successive recognition.
Messi
Well, I don't think we need to introduce him. However, his success last year has been mixed. While he managed to win just a title with Barcelona before moving to Paris Saint-Germain, he did help Argentina win its 15th Copa America title. At the same time, it was his maiden international trophy. Also, he had happened to be Barca's top-most goal scorer for the 2020-21 season. However, since his move to PSG, he has been turbulent, while it would be engrossing to see if his 43 goals and 18 assists from 2021 earns him the award for the second time.
Salah
The Liverpool striker had finished third in 2018, while it is the second time he has been nominated. He had a brilliant campaign in Liverpool last year. Also, the continuing season has seen his brilliant performance, as he remains the leading scorer in the English Premier League (EPL) as of now, besides having the join-most assists. With 39 goals and 11 assists in 2021, his chances do not look promising.
