The Poland captain Lewandowski was honoured with award after his 55-goal season which helped Bayern Munich to sweep off international and domestic trophies.

Meanwhile Manchester City and England defender Lucy Bronze won the Best FIFA Women’s player award. Both players are winning the award for the first time in their careers.

The award ceremony was a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lewandowski topped a three-player shortlist that included both Messi and Ronaldo. Voting was done by a global jury of national team captain and coaches, plus selected journalists and fans. Lewandowski received 52 voting points, with Ronaldo second on 38 followed by Messi with 35.

Lewandowski topped a three-player shortlist that included both Messi and Ronaldo. Voting was done by a global jury of national team captain and coaches, plus selected journalists and fans. Lewandowski received 52 voting points, with Ronaldo second on 38 followed by Messi with 35.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Lewandowski, who at age 32 made the shortlist for the first time.

The 32-year-old Lewandowski joined Luka Modric, the Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder who won in 2018, as the only players in the past 13 years to deny both Messi and Ronaldo the victory. “Today I am among them,” Lewandowski said in comments translated from German. “It means I’ve always done the right things in my life.”
Interestingly, Lewandowski is also the first men’s winner from a club outside Spain since Ronaldo won the 2008 award as a Manchester United player.

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He said that he is staying because it is “impossible” for any team to pay his release clause and he does not want to face “the club I love” in court.

But he launched a stinging attack on Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu, whom he accused of going back on an agreement to let him leave for free at the end of last season. “The president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I wanted to go or if I wanted to stay and in the end he didn’t end up keeping his word,” Messi said in an interview with a sports portal on September 6.

💙❤️ Leo #Messi: “I will give it my all. My love for Barça will never change.” pic.twitter.com/xBh29dTqpr

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 4, 2020

The star wanted to go, but ultimately was not allowed. Barcelona stood firm and said any team that wanted him to pay a 700 million release clause, that, particularly after the economic devastation caused by the pandemic, no one can pay.

Messi had said he wanted to leave the club he joined as a boy after Barcelona’s humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter finals in August.

Barcelona are hoping Messi does what Neymar did at Paris Saint- Germain: stay one more year, continue to perform, and in the end change his mind about leaving.

Neymar almost returned to Barcelona last season, when he made it clear that he was intent on leaving Paris. However, PSG turned down Barcelona’s offers and the Brazilian reluctantly stayed on for one more year

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The club told a news agency on August 25 that Messi sent a document expressing his desire to leave.

Jorge Messi this morning has communicated in a phone call to Barcelona president Bartomeu that his son Leo is leaving, via @FApor_elmundo

— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) August 25, 2020

The announcement comes 11 days after Barcelona’s humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, one of the worst defeats in the player’s career and in the club’s history.

However, his attempt to exit the club could now lead to a legal battle between the two sides over a clause in his contract.

Barcelona said the document sent by Messi referenced a clause allowing him to leave for free at the end of the season. However, the club said the deadline for triggering that clause expired in June and that it would seek legal advice.

If Messi can leave for free, he will have no shortage of suitors. However, only a handful of clubs could realistically afford to pay his wages even without a transfer fee — with mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City widely seen as perhaps the most likely destinations.

Lionel Messi IS Barcelona. 😳

pic.twitter.com/dyoQG0xTRS

— Squawka (@Squawka) August 25, 2020

It is also reported that the Argentina great wants to spend next season at Manchester City after moving on from Barcelona.

The superstar spoke with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on the phone last week to discuss a potential move to the Premier League club.

Messi had played for Guardiola from 2008-12, combining to win two Champions League titles in that stretch.

Guardiola has won two Premier League championships with Manchester City, finishing second in the league to Liverpool this year. Adding Messi could make the team a favorite to win the Premier League again as well as contend for a Champions League title.

The 33-year-old Messi has won a record six Ballon d’Or awards during his time at Barcelona as the top player in the world, and has helped the club win 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League crowns.

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The report said Messi and his father Jorge had begun discussion over his future and he no longer wishes to stay at Camp Nou. Messi’s latest contract was signed in 2017.

The current situation has been brewing for some time. In February, Messi said he did not believe Barcelona could win the Champions League on current form. There are reports that Messi is angry about leaked media reports that appeared to make him responsible for events at the club, such as the sacking of Coach Ernesto Valverde and speculations over Messi’s relationship with the coaching staff helmed by Quique Setien.

The six time Ballon d’Or winner is always known for his shy personality off the pitch, but he has become more vocal in criticising the club and is allegedly unhappy with the atmosphere at the club and the fact he gets blamed whenever things go wrong.

As speculation on Messi’s Barcelona future heaped up, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane was asked about it after his side beat Getafe 1-0 to go four points clear of defending champions Barcelona at the top of La Liga with five matches to go. Zinedine Zidane said that he wanted him to stay and continue in La Liga.

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Lionel Messi scored his 700th career goal on June 30, scoring from the penalty spot in his team’s 2-2 draw against Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou.

Messi converted a cheeky panenka spot kick to reach the milestone. He scored 630 times for Barcelona in 724 appearances in all competitions and another 70 for Argentina in 138 caps.

He is the top scorer by a distance for both club and country, having overtaken Barca legend Cesar Rodriguez(232 goals) in 2012 and former Argentina International Gabriel Batistuta (52 goals) in 2016.

Since 2014 , Messi has been La Liga’s all time top scorer. The record was previously held by former Athletic Bilbao striker Telmo Zarra, who scored 251 top-flight goals. Messi is currently at 441. Cristiano Ronaldo scored 311 for Real Madrid before his 2018 move to Juventus.

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