Fifa Best 2021 LIVE: Robert Lewandowski wins men’s player of the year as Alexia Putellas scoops women’s prize
Live updates, nominees and winners from Fifa’s top awards ceremony
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski won the men’s player award for the second year running.
The 33-year-old Poland international set a new record for most Bundesliga goals in a calendar year with his 43rd goal in December, breaking the record set by Gerd Muller in 1972. Lewandowski, winner of the men’s award in 2020, also became the first player in Bundesliga history to finish top scorer in four consecutive seasons.
Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas was named women’s player of the year, adding the accolade to her Ballon d’Or triumph. Putellas, 27, captained Barcelona to the treble, with the Catalan side winning the Women’s Champions League, Spanish league and Copa de la Reina last term.
Follow for live updates and reaction from the ceremony:
Fifa Best minutes away..
The ceremony will start in under ten minutes and hosts Reshmin Chowdhury and Jermaine Jenas will opening the awards.
The stars will be ready, suited and booted, to see if they have claimed the award with football Twitter already abuzz with who may get their hands on the trophies.
The ceremony will be a few hours and so keep me company as I bring you all the latest updates, news and interesting parts of the event!
All you need to know ahead of the awards
The Fifa Best awards get underway at 6pm GMT and discussions over who will win the awards has begun on social media.
Robert Lewandowski and Alexia Putellas are thought to be favourites to claim the big gongs.
But fans will be wondering how can they watch as the awards are not on TV this evening. Supporters will be able to stream the ceremony online, on the Fifa website and on their YouTube channel.
For all other details, click here:
Fifa Best awards 2021 live stream: How to watch ceremony online and on TV tonight
All you need to know about the awards ceremony
Shortlists in full
We are under half an hour away from the ceremony beginning and so this is the perfect time to remind you of who is nominated this evening.
The world XI for men and women will also be announced at the event but the shortlists are as follows:
Fifa Men’s Player
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland and Bayern Munich)
- Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona and PSG)
- Mo Salah (Egypt and Liverpool )
Fifa Women’s Player
- Jennifer Hermoso (Spain and Barcelona)
- Alexia Putellas (Spain and Barcelona)
- Sam Kerr (Australia and Chelsea)
Fifa Men’s Coach
- Pep Guardiola (Man City)
- Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea)
- Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Fifa Women’s Coach
- Lluís Cortés (Barcelona)
- Emma Hayes (Chelsea)
- Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands and England)
Fifa Men’s Goalkeeper
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, AC Milan and PSG)
- Edouard Mendy (Senegal and Chelsea)
- Manuel Neuer (Germay and Bayern Munich)
Fifa Women’s Goalkeeper
- Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany and Chelsea)
- Christiane Endler (Chiles, PSG and Lyon)
- Stephanie Lynn Marie Labbé (Canada, Rosengrad and PSG)
Puskas Award
- Erik Lamela (Arsenal vs Tottenham, Premier League March 2021)
- Patrik Schick (Czech Republic vs Scotland, Euro 2020 June 2021)
- Mehdi Taremi (Chelsea vs FC Porto, Champions League April 2021)
Will Lewandowski win?
Robert Lewandowski has continued his sparkling form this season and has scored 34 goals across all competitions so far.
2021 was a great year for the striker with many believing he should have won the Ballon d’Or over Lionel Messi - his rival nominee this evening.
It will be a difficult one to decide but we will find out who claims the award in the next few hours. The ceremony will begin in just under 45 minutes and here’s a highlights reel of Lewandowski:
Who has been shortlisted?
The Fifa Best award nominations started as a sprawling list but now each category had been whittled down to a shortlist.
A lot of debate has already been happening around who has been cut and discussions are sure to get more intense over the next few hours as the winners are announced.
Robert Lewandowski, Mo Salah and Lionel Messi are up for the men’s award with Jennifer Hermoso, Alexia Putellas and Sam Kerr nominated for the women’s.
There’s just under an hour to go until the awards begin so familiarise yourself with the nominations and stay tune for the winners:
Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski shortlisted for Fifa Best award
Lewandowski is in contention to defend last year’s award, while Alexia Putellas, Jennifer Hermoso and Sam Kerr are the final nominees for the women’s prize
What awards will be handed out?
It’s not just the best women’s and men’s player and coach that will be awarded this evening with 11 gongs set to be handed out.
There will be a lot of debate surrounding all the categories and there’s sure to be some discussions on social media, particularly around the Fifa Fifpro men’s world XI and Fifa Fifpro women’s world XI.
But what are all the awards and who has been shortlisted? Here’s all you need to know:
When are the Fifa Best awards and who is nominated in 2022?
Everything you need to know ahead of Fifa’s annual awards ceremony
Has rightful winner been left out?
When the shortlists were announced for women’s coach it caused a slight outcry as Beverly Priestman wasn’t included.
The star coached Canada gold at the Tokyo Olympics but was overlooked with Chelsea’s Emma Hayes, Barcelona’s Lluis Cortes and England’s Sarina Wiegman put forward instead.
Of course the three nominated have achieved great things. Hayes won the domestic treble, Cortes claimed the domestic treble and the Champions League and Wiegman has started her reign at England unbeaten.
One person who was among those confused at the omission was former Manchester United manager Casey Stoney. She tweeted: “Nothing against the three that are nominated but what Bev achieved last summer winning gold with Canada was absolutely remarkable. Cannot get my head around this.”
Who is nominated for the men’s gong?
One of the tightest categories at the awards will be the men’s as the strikers nominated have been unbelievable.
Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, the last winner of the award, is nominated and so far this season he has scored 34 goals across all competitions. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is also up for the gong and he’s been smashing records at the Premier League club this campaign. He became the first Red to score in nine consecutive matches and he is now the club’s all-time leading Champions League scorer.
And the final star up for the award is Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi. Injury and Covid has hampered his performances this season but he did manage to get his hands on the Ballon d’Or after helping Argentina win the Copa America. Will he also win Fifa’s Best? We will doon find out.
Who is up for the women’s award?
Barcelona stars Jennifer Hermoso and Alexia Putellas are nominated for the women’s award alongside Chelsea’s Sam Kerr.
Kermoso and Putellas won the domestic treble and the Champions League last season and were integral to the club’s achievements. Meanwhile Kerr won the domestic treble as well as winning the Women’s Super League’s Golden Boot. The Australian captain also led her country to fourth at the Tokyo Olympics.
It’s thought Putellas is favourite to win after her Ballon d’Or victory but the competition between the players is close. We will find out who has claimed the gong in just a few hours time.
Who is hosting the awards?
We are less than two hours away from the Fifa Best awards getting underway and Reshmin Chowdhury and Jermaine Jenas will be guiding fans through the evening.
The ceremony is available to watch at fifa.com or on the governing body’s YouTube channel.
There are an array of stars nominated for the gongs with Robert Lewandowski and Alexia Putellas rumoured to be favourites to claim the men and women’s awards.
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