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The Best FIFA Football Awards: Full List of Award Winners

Cristiano Ronaldo
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Check out the full list of award winners at the 2021 The Best FIFA Football Awards from both the men’s and women’s editions in the sixth official ceremony.

Best FIFA Men’s Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski

The striker won the award for the second consecutive year after scoring 69 goals for Bayern Munich and Poland in 2021.

Lewandowski also broke the late Gerd Muller’s 49-year record for the most Bundesliga goals in a calendar year, having scored 43 times from just 34 games.

He finished with 48 points to win his second Best FIFA Men’s Player of the Year prize. Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi was second on 44 points, while Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah was third on 39 points.

Best FIFA Men’s Coach of the Year: Thomas Tuchel

The 48-year-old German won his first-ever Best FIFA Men’s Coach of the Year prize after leading Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021.

Tuchel only joined the Blues last January, yet his impact was immense. He brought the club back into the Premier League top-four, reached the FA Cup final, led them to Champions League success, and later won the UEFA Super Cup.

Italy manager Roberto Mancini finished second behind Tuchel. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola came third in the rankings.

Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Edouard Mendy

Edouard Mendy became the first African to win the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year after a stunning year for Chelsea and Senegal.

The 29-year-old displaced Kepa as the Blues No.1 and immediately made his mark. Mendy kept 16 clean sheets in the Premier League in his first season. He made a record-equaling nine clean sheets in the Champions League, one of which came in the final to help Chelsea defeat Manchester City 1-0 in Porto.

Mendy, who has also won the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year, finished ahead of PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer.

Best FIFA Special Award: Cristiano Ronaldo

The Portugal captain bagged the Best FIFA Special Award for becoming the all-time record goalscorer in men’s international football.

Ronaldo surpassed Iran legend Ali Daei in the record books in September by scoring twice against Ireland in a World Cup qualifier. He currently has an incredible 115 goals in 184 games for Portugal.

FIFA Puskas Award: Erik Lamela

The former Tottenham winger won the FIFA Puskas Award for his ‘rabona’ finish in the north London derby against Arsenal last March.

Lamela, who joined Sevilla in the summer, pipped Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick (Czech Republic v. Scotland – Euro 2020) and Porto’s Mehdi Taremi (Chelsea v. FC Porto – Champions League) for the prize.

FIFA Fan Award: Denmark & Finland fans

The Danish and Finnish fans were acknowledged for their support in a Euro 2020 match between Denmark and Finland.

They chanted Christian Eriksen’s name after the Denmark midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest. German football fans and Imogen Papworth-Heidel were the other two nominees for the award.

FIFA Fair Play Award: Denmark national team and staff

The Denmark national team, Danish medical team, and coaching staff won the FIFA Fair Play Award.

FIFA awarded them for their swift response under difficult circumstances, after Christian Eriksen collapsed from a cardiac arrest during the Euro 2020 game with Finland.

Best FIFA Women’s Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas

The 2021 women’s Ballon d’Or winner added the Best FIFA Women’s Player of the Year to her impressive haul.

Putellas was at the heart of Barcelona’s domestic double last season, as well as their first-ever triumph in the Women’s Champions League. She has also won the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year and Spain Women’s National Player of the Year.

The 27-year-old pipped Barca teammate Jenni Hermoso and Chelsea and Australia’s Sam Kerr for the FIFA award.

Best FIFA Women’s Coach of the Year: Emma Hayes

The 45-year-old won the award for the Best FIFA women’s coach after leading Chelsea to a domestic treble.

Hayes led Chelsea to back-to-back WSL titles, their third in four years. The English side added the Women’s FA Cup and League Cup to their haul to complete a domestic treble. They also made the Women’s Champions League final for the first time.

Barcelona’s Lluis Cortes and the Netherlands’ Sarina Wiegman finished behind Hayes in second and third respectively.

Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Christiane Endler

After two second-place finishes in 2019 and 2020, Endler has won her first Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year.

The Lyon and Chile goalkeeper is the first South American to claim the award. Chelsea’s Ann-Katrin Berger and Paris Saint-Germain’s Stephanie Labbe came home in second and third respectively.

Best FIFA Special Award: Christine Sinclair

Canada forward Christine Sinclair won a special prize herself at the best FIFA Football awards for being the highest scorer in either men’s or women’s international football.

The 38-year-old has scored a stunning 188 goals in 308 games at international level. She also captained Canada to a gold medal in last summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.

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