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#3 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema has been on a man on a mission this year. He was Real Madrid's leading light as they took the La Liga title race down to the wire last season. The 34-year-old scored 30 goals and provided nine assists across all competitions for Los Blancos last term.
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This helped him earn a call-up to the French national side for Euro 2020. He justified the trust Didier Deschamps placed in him by scoring four goals in four appearances in the continental competition.
Benzema then became a savior for Les Bleus, scoring a goal each in the semi-finals and final of the UEFA Nations League as France won the title. He has also been in sublime form in the 2021-22 season.
The Real Madrid striker has scored 18 goals and provided eight assists in 22 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
#2 Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain)
Lionel Messi is a lot of people's favorite to go on and win the Best FIFA Men's Player Award this term. The Argentina international won a record seventh Ballon d'Or in November and could very well win this one too.
Messi single-handedly dragged Barcelona back into the 2020-21 La Liga title race. He was in irrepressible form for them since the turn of the year but the Catalans still managed to squander their title push in the final few weeks. Messi was their standout performer as they won the Copa Del Rey.
The 34-year-old won the Pichichi trophy for being the highest goalscorer in La Liga in the 2020-21 season. Last term, he scored 38 goals and provided 14 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona.
But his crowning achievement was winning the 2021 Copa America with Argentina. Messi was named the Best Player of the tournament and also won the Golden Boot. He scored four goals and provided five assists in seven appearances in the continental competition.
Messi has not had a very smooth start to life at PSG this season. But he seems to be kicking into gear of late. He has scored six goals and provided five assists in 15 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
#1 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich)
Robert Lewandowski won the Best FIFA Men's Player Award in 2020. Lewandowski was in spectacular form during the 2020-21 season as well and was Bayern Munich's best player as they won the Bundesliga title.
The Polish international scored 41 goals in 29 Bundesliga appearances last term. In doing so, he broke Gerd Muller's long-standing record of most goals scored in a single Bundesliga season (40). Lewandowski then scored three goals in three appearances at Euro 2020 for Poland.
However, his heroics weren't enough to help Poland get past the group stage of the tournament. The Bayern Munich marksman has kicked on with his incredible rate of goalscoring this season as well.
He has scored 30 goals and provided three assists in just 25 appearances across all competitions for the Bavarians so far this term. After his Ballon d'Or snub, a majority of football fans are backing Lewandowski to go on and win the Best FIFA Men's Player Award for a second consecutive time.
