Lionel Messi snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo in his vote for the top 3 players in world soccer, as Robert Lewandowski wins FIFA's top prize
- Lionel Messi snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo is his voting for the top three soccer players in the world at the FIFA Best Football Awards on Thursday.
- Robert Lewandowski was named the Best FIFA Men's Player at the virtual awards ceremony in Zurich, with Ronaldo finishing second and Messi third.
- "This really is something – Messi and Ronaldo have been playing at the highest level for years and now I'm rubbing shoulders with them," the Pole said.
- After, FIFA made the final votes public, revealing Messi not to have voted for Ronaldo in his top three, instead choosing Neymar as his top pick.
Lionel Messi snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo in his voting for the top three soccer players in the world as Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski scooped the top prize at the FIFA Best Football Awards on Thursday.
Lewandowski was named the Best FIFA Men's Player at the virtual awards ceremony in Zurich following his 55 goal haul for Bayern last season - helping the German giant win five trophies, including the Bundesliga and the Champions League.
Ronaldo finished second and Messi came third.
The award was voted for by nominations from national team captains and head coaches from around the world, as well as 200 media representatives and an online ballot of fans.
After Lewandowski was named as the winner, FIFA made the final votes public, revealing Messi not to have voted for Ronaldo in his top three.
The FC Barcelona forward and Argentina captain voted Paris Saint Germain star and former teammate Neymar first, Kylian Mbappe second, and Lewandowski third.
Ronaldo on the other hand, who captains Portugal, voted Lewandowski first, Messi second, and Mbappe third.
Lewandowski voted ex-Bayern teammate Thiago, who joined Liverpool in the summer, first, Neymar second, and Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne third.
Messi has been heavily linked with a move to Paris in recent months as his contract at the Camp Nou nears expiry, with Neymar recently saying he would do anything to play with the 33-year-old again and that it must happen "next season."
Lewandowski's fairytale could have been very different
In the summer of 2010, Lewandowski, then 21, came close to signing for English Premier League side Blackburn Rovers after scoring 18 goals to help Lech Poznan win the 2009/10 Ekstraklasa.
The proposed move fell through however due to volcanic ash clouds preventing the striker flying to England, leaving Borussia Dortmund to pounce.
Over the next two seasons, Lewandowski scored 39 goals for Jurgen Klopp's Dortmund, guiding it to consecutive Bundesliga titles, while Blackburn were relegated from the Premier League.
After two more years at Dortmund, Lewandowski joined rivals Bayern, where he has since hit 264 goals in 306 games.
"This really is something - Messi and Ronaldo have been playing at the highest level for years and now I'm rubbing shoulders with them," the Pole said after collecting his award. "This means that all the hard work has paid off."
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