Lewandowski had to admit defeat to Messi when the Ballon d’Or was awarded by the French sports newspaper “France Football” at the end of November. “Of course, when I heard the result, I was kind of sad, I don’t want to deny that,” he said afterwards.
Old record broken by Gerd Müller
Last season, the Pole improved Bayern legend Gerd Müller’s record for goals in one season from 40 to 41. In the current season, too, the Pole scores as he wants. At the European Championships in the summer, however, he was eliminated with Poland in the preliminary round. Messi, on the other hand, won the Copa America with Argentina and thus his first major title in the national jersey.
In the FIFA world team, Lewandowski represents the Bundesliga together with Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland. The duo, along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, form the attacking squad chosen by nearly 19,000 professionals, according to Fifpro players’ union. “I’m happy,” said the connected Haaland. “All my life I’ve loved to see players score goals and it’s even better to score them yourself.” German players didn’t make it into the World XI – even in the women’s squad, where no Bundesliga players were selected either .
It got emotional during the gala when the fair play award was presented. The national players and the medical staff of the Danish selection were awarded after the drama about star player Christian Eriksen. The 29-year-old collapsed on the lawn on June 12, 2021 during the European Championship group match between Denmark and Finland in Copenhagen and had to be revived. Meanwhile, the visibly shocked Denmark internationals formed a protective circle around their team-mate. The FIFA Fan Award went to the Danish and Finnish fans.
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