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For the second time in five years, both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have not been voted Best FIFA Male Player at the annual awards ceremony.
Previously, only Luka Modric had broken the pair’s strength in the award after he was voted the best male player in the game in 2018.
However, in 2020 both Ronaldo and Messi were forced to accept that Robert Lewandowski had the best year of any player on the planet.
The Bayern Munich forward took the accolade after looting 55 goals en route to the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Champions League.
(Image: REUTERS)
Lewandowski has also shown no signs of giving up in 2020/21, having scored 16 times this season.
After winning the award, the Polish international said: “If you win such an award and share that title with Messi and Ronaldo, it’s incredible and it means a lot to me.
“A long time ago, I remember yearning for something like this and now I can win such an award. This really means, regardless of where you come from, the only thing that matters is what you put on.”
But with the most iconic couple in the game out of the race for the grand prize, it remained to be seen how they had voted, with all the selections made public.
(Image: Getty Images)
Ronaldo evened the consensus, picking Lewandowski first, but he did go for his old rival in the top three with Neymar.
Messi, however, turned down the Juventus superstar with Neymar, Mbappé and Lewandowski making their picks.
The former Manchester United star is occasionally seen as the more smug of the pair, and his reaction to not winning awards is often mocked, but he has regularly shown his respect for the Argentine.
He was full of praise for the Barcelona legend after a recent Champions League encounter. Ronaldo dominated that particular match, scoring a double in the 3-0 win, but still took the time to highlight Messi in his post-match comments.
Do you agree with the FIFA Best selections? Say your opinion below.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with him,” Ronaldo said.
“I shared 12, 13 or 14 years of award shows with him. I never saw him as a rival. He always tries to do what is best for his team and for me as well. I always got along very well with him.”
“But we know that in football, for the press, for the show, a rivalry is sought, but I have always gotten along well with him. I see him as always.”
They both earned a spot on the FIFPro team of the year, an XI dominated by players from Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
FIFPro Men’s Team of the Year: Alisson (Liverpool), Davies (Bayern Munich, Van Dijk (Liverpool), Ramos (Real Madrid), Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool); Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Thiago (Liverpool), De Bruyne (Man City; Ronaldo (Juventus), Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Messi (Barcelona).
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