It was more disappointment for Robert Lewandowski, who after losing out on the 2021 Ballon d’Or to Lionel Messi in a controversial vote, also missed out on the Globe Soccer Award’s Men’s Player of the Year award.
Only a few weeks after Messi finished ahead of the Bayern Munich star forward in France Football’s vote involving media members around the world, the Globe Soccer Award ceremony didn’t remedy what many felt to be an injustice given the 2021 campaign produced by the Polish forward.
It was Kylian Mbappe who came away with the 2021 Globe Soccer award, despite falling well short of Lewandowski’s achievements. The Bayern striker scored 69 goals during the calendar year, widely recognized as second-best scoring year ever and matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2013. Lewandowski also won the Bundesliga title, the German Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and set the record for most Bundesliga goals in a calendar year.
The 23-year-old Mbappe, who finished 9th in the Ballon d’Or voting, had 51 total goals for club and country in 2021, help PSG to a French Cup trophy, but falling short of the Ligue 1 title by a point and losing in the Champions League semifinals to Manchester City, though Mbappe was injured and missed the second leg. The French attacker also scored eight goals for France in 2021, helping the world champions to win the 2021 UEFA Nations League.
Lewandowski will have to console himself with the TikTok Fan’s Player of the Year award, selected by “TikTok fans”, according to an event release. It was the final honor unveiled on the night with the event presenters framing it as the showpiece award of the gala. It is definitely debatable as to whether it’s a more prestigious award, especially given the qualifier on the title.
Similar to what occurred at the Ballon d’Or gala in Paris, Lewandowski also came away with a separate Globe Soccer award for the most prolific striker (the inaugural “Diego Maradona Award”). The debut of the Striker of the Year award at the Ballon d’Or event was interpreted by many as a consolation prize for the 33-year-old forward.
Held in Dubai every year, the Globe Soccer Awards have become a fixture on the annual list of football honors alongside the Ballon d’Or and The Best FIFA Football Awards. Started in 2010, the Globe Soccer Awards stand out for also recognizing coaches, executives and beginning in 2021 esports players.
