The Manchester City and Red Devils strategist, 30, was not nominated for the Player of the Year award but he features alongside Jorginho and N’Golo Kante in the midfield of this ideal team of the he year of FIFA, the international football federation, arranged in 3-3-4.
The typical team:
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Ita)
Defenders: David Alaba (Aut), Leonardo Bonucci (Ita), Ruben Dias (Por)
Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (BEL), Jorginho (Ita), N’Golo Kante (Fra)
Attackers: Cristiano Ronaldo (Porl), Erling Haaland (Nor), Robert Lewandowski (Pol), Lionel Messi (Arg)
Robert Lewandowski player of the year and Thomas Tuchel, coach of the year
Robert Lewandowski was named FIFA Player of the Year at the annual Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony, virtual this time on Monday. The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker from Poland edged out Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi of Argentina and Liverpool’s Egyptian Mohamed Salah.
Among the ladies, the Spaniard Alexia Putellas, 27, already Ballon d’Or, was voted best player of the year ahead of her compatriot and teammate at FC Barcelona, European champion, Jennifer Hermoso, and the Australian of Chelsea Sam Kerr. Barcelona beat Chelsea 4-0 in the Women’s Champions League final.
In the department of coaches, it was Thomas Tuchel who was acclaimed. The 48-year-old German won the Champions League with Chelsea four months after taking charge of the Blues by beating Manchester City in the final. He was preferred to Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) and Italian coach Roberto Mancini.
In women’s football, it was Emma Hayes (Chelsea) who was voted for helping Chelsea Women win the title in England, win the League Cup and the FA Cup and go to the final of the Champions League.
As for the goalkeepers, Thibaut Courtois was not among the nominees. It was the Chelsea goalkeeper, the Senegalese Edouard Mendy, winner of the Champions League, who had the preference over the Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG, ex-AC Milan), European champion with Italy, and the German Manuel Neuer, the goalkeeper of Bayern Munich, winner of the trophy last year (for the year 2020.
On the women’s side, Chilean Christiane Endler (Lyon), captain of her national team, who was voted goalkeeper of the year for FIFA.
Among the other prizes awarded, Erik Lamela (Tottenham) won the Puskás Award for the most beautiful goal of the year, scored on a ‘rabona’ (the blow of the scarf) against Arsenal in the Premier League.
Denmark, its medical staff and its technical staff, received the Fair Play prize for their action during the heart attack of Christian Eriksen during the Euro.
