Robert Lewandowski reveals why he snubbed Messi & more for FIFA’s The Best award
Lewandowski backed Jorginho ahead of dynamic pair
Bayern Munich and Polish international star Robert Lewandowski continued the storied twilight of his career after he won FIFA’s The Best award on Monday night.
It was the second time of his career that the Warsaw-native bagged the yearly honour, beating out Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and a host of other potential winners after he embarked on a goalscoring rampage that saw him net 41-goals.
This is how Messi, Ronaldo and Lewandowski voted for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award 👀 pic.twitter.com/jDVT4Auhwa
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 17, 2022
But the player himself did not feel that the two walking legends were worthy of the honour when he cast his personal vote for the player-decided award, and instead, listed Chelsea midfielder and Italian international Jorginho as his preferred winner.
When reflecting on his nomination, Lewandowski made mention of what Jorginho won rather than just what the statistics around the season were;
“I always look at offensive players but what Jorginho won means a lot. You have to remain neutral. He also scored important goals despite being a number six. The year for him was insane with Chelsea and Italy.” Note: quote provided by Chelsea’s Goal correspondent Nizaar Kinsella
Premier League dominated best XI
Perhaps not surprisingly, the Premier League dominated the FIFA Best XI during the awards night with five of the eleven players currently plying their trade on English shores.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 06: Jorginho of Italy celebrates scoring their sides winning penalty in the penalty shoot out during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Semi-final match between Italy and Spain at Wembley Stadium on July 06, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
Apart from the aforementioned Jorginho, Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Chelsea teammate N’Golo Kanté comprised the three-man midfield.
Cristiano Ronaldo was, of course, also one of the five Premier League-based contingent, with City center-back Rúben Dias rounding out the quintet. There was no room for Mohamed Salah, however.
La Liga’s only representative came from Real Madrid new-boy David Alaba after his arrival at the Bernabeu from Bayern Munich this summer, with Serie A offering the same number through Juventus veteran Leonardo Bonucci.
DORTMUND, GERMANY – SEPTEMBER 19: Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund shows appreciation to the fans following the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Moenchengladbach at Signal Iduna Park on September 19, 2020 in Dortmund, Germany. Fans are set to return to Bundesliga stadiums in Germany despite to the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic. Up to 20% of stadium’s capacity are allowed to be filled. Final decisions are left to local health authorities and are subject to club’s hygiene concepts and the infection numbers in the corresponding region. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Both the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 faired better with two selections each. Borussia Dortmund starlet Erling Haaland was added alongside Lewandowski to represent the German top flight, while Paris Saint-Germain newcomer Gianluigi Donnarumma joined Messi in the team.
