Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski has been named the FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year for the second time in a row.
Lewandowski – who claimed the 2021 award after becoming the first player to win and top score in each of the Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League, and DFB Cup, with a combined 55 goals – beat off competition from Ballon d’Or holder Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain) and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
“Thank you I am very honored to win this trophy,” Lewandowski said after learning he’d retained the accolade. “I feel very proud. This belongs to my teammates and coaches. I say thank you to Gerd Muller, the next step was to try and break that record.”
Already honored with Striker of the Year, European Golden Shoe, and Golden Player gongs, the FIFA Best prize caps an unforgettable 12 months for Lewandowski.
The Poland striker broke the Bundesliga record for most goals in a single season in 2020/21 (41), and set a new gold standard for calendar year goals (43).
Twenty matches into the current Bundesliga campaign, he has a league-leading 23 strikes to his name – just one fewer than at the same juncture last term – and on Saturday became only the second player in history – after the late Gerd Müller – to reach 300 goals in the German top flight.
Lewandowski has also struck nine times in six appearances Champions League appearances so far this season and netted a brace in the Super Cup.