Dubai (AP) – Almost a month after the disappointment at the Ballon d’Or, Robert Lewandowski missed the main prize at another international show.
At the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, the French soccer world champion Kylian Mbappé from Paris Saint-Germain received the trophy for best male player of the year. Last year’s winner Lewandowski was able to look forward to two prizes: the 33-year-old FC Bayern Munich striker was honored as the top scorer and as the fan’s player of the year, the current world footballer received the trophies himself.
At the Ballon d’Or at the end of November, the Argentine superstar Lionel Messi received the trophy from the French specialist newspaper “France Football”, Lewandowski had to be content with second place. The Pole was among the six finalists at the Globe Soccer Awards.
A 29-member jury, including the German referee Felix Brych, determines the winners. In terms of prestige, the awards are not comparable to the FIFA award Lewandowski received last year. The world association will award its prizes for 2021 on January 17th next year.
Lewandowski had set new records this year after the triple season 2020. Among other things, he surpassed Gerd Müller’s goal scoring record with 41 goals in the Bundesliga.
The Polish striker has expressed clear concerns about a possible shortening of the World Cup rhythm from four to two years. “We have many games a year, very busy weeks. If you want to give the fans something different, you need a break,” said the 33-year-old Bayern Munich goalscorer in Dubai when the Globe Soccer Awards were presented. “If we want to play a World Cup every two years, the level will go down. It is impossible for the body and mind to perform at the same level.”
The world association FIFA promotes the idea of a World Cup every two years, which has been heavily criticized by the European Football Union (UEFA), among others. Most recently, the results of a feasibility study were presented at a so-called “World Summit on the Future of Football”. FIFA President Gianni Infantino did not give a specific point in time for a decision.
Like Lewandowski, France’s world champion Kylian Mbappé also warned of the possible consequences of a World Cup every two years. “We like to play but it’s too much. If people want to see quality we have to take breaks,” said the Paris Saint-Germain striker. “Playing a World Cup every two years would make this competition normal and that shouldn’t be the case.”
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