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#3 Robert Lewandowski
Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski carried his stellar 2020 form into 2021 for club and country. The Poland captain scored 48 goals in 40 appearances for his club last season as Bayern Munich strolled to a ninth consecutive Bundesliga title.
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He broke Gerd Muller's record for most goals in a single Bundesliga season with 41 goals scored last season. He also scored three times as Poland exited Euro 2020 after the group stage. The striker has already scored 24 goals in 18 games this season for Bayern.
Lewandowski was the front-runner for the Ballon d'Or in 2020 after helping Bayern Munich win a treble, but the award was canceled due to the pandemic. Once again, he is among the favorites to win the award in 2022 for the first time in his career. At 33, he will not have many better years than 2021.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo came second in the poll after completing a summer move from Juventus back to Manchester United. The 36-year-old scored 29 goals in Serie A last season to win the Capacanonniere and also won the golden boot at Euro 2020 with Portugal. Ronaldo has scored nine goals for Manchester United since making the switch.
A five-time GOAL50 winner, Ronaldo has had a productive 2021, in which he won two separate golden boots before moving on to a new challenge. The former Sporting Lisbon forward is among the 30 players shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or, but is unlikely to win the award.
#1 Lionel Messi
PSG forward Lionel Messi was voted the GOAL50 best player of the year for the fifth time in his career after an impressive 2021. Notably, he guided Argentina to a first title since 1993. Messi led the competition in goals, assists, chances created, and other major attacking statistics, an incredible achievement for one man.
The forward won his eighth career top scorer award in La Liga with Barcelona and scored 38 goals in all competitions for Blaugrana. Messi is one of the favorites to pick up the Ballon d'Or as he looks to extend his dominance with an unprecedented seventh triumph in the race for the award.
Notably, Messi edged Ronaldo to the award by a mere 24 votes after 14 million fans cast their opinion.
