On Thursday, December 17, 2020, the FIFA Best award took place at Zurich, Switzerland, and Bayern Munich goals machine Robert Lewandowski was crowned FIFA Best Men’s Player of the year. Afterward, FIFA Best Men’s Player ranking was revealed which showed the number of points each of the top 10 nominees for the award earned during the voting process.
The FIFA Best Men‘s Player of the year category is often the most keenly contested category of the award. Coaches, teams’ captains, and football fans who signed up on FIFA’s official website are often allowed to vote for their favorite nominee for the prestigious award.
Recall that due to the coronavirus pandemic, the mother of all football awards, Ballon d’Or could not hold. Hence, the FIFA Best award was the major football award that took place in 2020 amid the pandemic.
Even that, the award ceremony had to be held virtually from the start to finish, for the first time in the history of the award.
Below is the final FIFA Best Men’s Player ranking as revealed after the award ceremony:
- Robert Lewandowski – Bayern Munich
Robert Lewandowski won this year’s FIFA Best Men’s Player of the year ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after accumulating 52 points from those who participated in the voting process.
The 32-year-old Polish striker helped Bayern Munich to win UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga title, Pokal, and UEFA Super Cup in the last 12 months. His current transfer market value is €60 million.
- Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo came second behind Lewandowski after accumulating 38 points, 15 points behind the Polish striker. The 35-year-old Juventus star helped the Italian club to win the Serie A title last season. The Portuguese football icon is worth €60 million in the transfer market.
- Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona
Lionel Messi came third behind his career rival Ronaldo. The 33-year-old FC Barcelona and Argentina football icon garnered 35 points, just three points behind second-placed Ronaldo. His market value is 100 million.
- Sadio Mane – Liverpool
Sadio Mane is the highest-ranking Premier League player at the end of the 2020 FIFA Best award. The 28-year-old Liverpool forward who helped the club to win a Premier League title last season, garnered 29 points to finish fourth in the final FIFA Best Men’s Player ranking. The market value of the Senegalese forward is €120 million.
- Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City
Manchester City attacking midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne, finished 5th in the final of FIFA Best Men’s Player ranking with 26 points, three points behind Mane. The Belgium international is currently worth €120 million in the transfer market.
- Mohamed Salah – Liverpool
Mohamed Salah finished 6th in the final FIFA Best Men’s Player ranking after gathering 25 points, four points behind his strike partner at Liverpool, Mane, and just a point behind De Bruyne. The Egyptian forward who helped Liverpool to win the 2019-2020 Premier League title is currently worth 120 million in the transfer market.
- Kylian Mbappe – PSG
Paris Saint Germain forward Kylian Mbappe finished 7th on the ranking after helping his French club to win the Ligue 1 title and play in the final of the Champions League last season. The French forward got 19 points at the end of the voting process. The France international is worth €180 million in the transfer market.
- Thiago Alcantara – Bayern Munich/Liverpool
Thiago Alcantara finished 8th on the ranking after accumulating 17 points. The Spanish midfielder left Bayern Munich for Liverpool during the 2020 summer transfer window. His current transfer market value is €48 million.
- Neymar – PSG
Paris Saint Germain talisman, Neymar, finished 9th on the ranking with 16 points. The Brazilian forward helped PSG to win the French Ligue 1 and also helped the club to play in the final of the UEFA Champions League last season. His current market value is €128 million.
- Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk is the only defender on the ranking. The Netherlands defender who helped Liverpool to win their first Premier League title in 30 years accumulated 13 points to finish 10th. His current market value is €80 million.
