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It was more disappointment for Robert Lewandowski, who after losing out on the 2021 Ballon d’Or to Lionel Messi in a controversial vote, also missed out on the Globe Soccer Award’s Men’s Player of the Year award.
Only a few weeks after Messi finished ahead of the Bayern Munich star forward in France Football’s vote involving media members around the world, the Globe Soccer Award ceremony didn’t remedy what many felt to be an injustice after the 2021 that the Polish forward enjoyed.
It was Kylian Mbappe who came away with the 2021 award, despite falling well short of Lewandowski’s achievements. The Bayern striker scored 69 goals during the calendar year, recognized as second-best year ever and matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2013 year. Lewandowski also won the Bundesliga title, the German Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and set the record for most Bundesliga goals in a calendar year.
Lewandowski will have to console himself with the Fan’s Player of the Year award, which was the final honor named on the night with the event presenters framing it as the showpiece award of the night.
MORE: Ballon d’Or awards and voting results
Similar to what occurred at the Ballon d’Or gala in Paris, Lewandowski also came away with a separate award for the most prolific striker (the inaugural Diego Maradona award).
Held in Dubai every year, the Globe Soccer Awards are now a fixture on the annual list of football honors alongside the Ballon d’Or and The Best FIFA Football Awards. Started in 2010, the Globe Soccer Awards stand out for also recognizing coaches, executives and esports players.
Below are the results of the 12 primary Globe Soccer Awards and other ancillary honors awarded on Monday, Dec. 27.
2021 Men’s Player of the Year
Winner: Kylian Mbappe (PSG / France)
Robert Lewandowski missed out on the Globe Soccer Award’s Men’s Player of the Year honor, settling instead for the 2021 Fans’ Player of the Year award.
| Player | Club | National Team | Age |
| Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | France | 34 |
| Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Poland | 33 |
| Kylian Mbappe | PSG | France | 23 |
| Lionel Messi | PSG | Argentina | 34 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | Portugal | 36 |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Egypt | 29 |
2021 Women’s Player of the Year
Winner: Alexia Putellas (FC Barcelona / Spain)
The Women’s Ballon d’Or winner also claimed the Globe Soccer Award for best female player.
Four of the six finalists for the Globe Soccer Awards Women’s Player of the Year honor were in the Top 20 for the Ballon d’Or.
| Player | Club | National Team | Age |
| Lucy Bronze | Manchester City | England | 30 |
| Jennifer Hermoso | FC Barcelona | Spain | 31 |
| Sam Kerr | Chelsea | Australia | 28 |
| Lieke Martens | FC Barcelona | Netherlands | 29 |
| Alex Morgan | San Diego Wave FC | USA | 32 |
| Alexia Putellas | FC Barcelona | Spain | 29 |
2021 Men’s Club of the Year
Winner: Chelsea (England)
The six clubs up for this award included the Champions League winners in Europe, Asia and Africa and it’s the best team in Europe that took the prize.
| Club | Country | 2021 Honors |
| Al Ahly | Egypt | CAF Champions League winner CAF Super Cup winner Egyptian Premier League runner-up |
| Al Hilal | Saudi Arabia | AFC Champions League winner Saudi Pro League champion Saudi Super Cup runner-up |
| Atletico Madrid | Spain | La Liga champions |
| Chelsea | England | UEFA Champions League winner FA Cup finalist |
| Flamengo | Brazil | Copa Libertadores runner-up Brazil Serie A runner-up Campeonato Carioca champion Supercopa do Brasil winner Copa do Brasil semi-finalist |
| Manchester City | England | English Premier League champion English League Cup winner UEFA Champions League finalist FA Cup semi-finalist |
2021 Women’s Club of the Year
Winner: FC Barcelona
As the UEFA Women’s Champions League winner and Spanish champion, FC Barcelona was a compelling favorite ahead of the best team in England, Chelsea, which it defeated in the Champions League final.
Barcelona star and Women’s Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas accepted the award. Here’s the list of finalists:
| Club | Country | 2021 Honors |
| Barcelona | Spain | UEFA Women’s Champions League winners Spain Primera Division champion Copa de la Reina winners Spain Supercopa semifinalist |
| Bayern Munich | Germany | Frauen Bundesliga champion UEFA Champions League semifinalist Saudi Super Cup runner-up |
| Chelsea | England | FA Women’s Super League champion Women’s FA Cup winner Women’s League Cup winner Women’s Community Shield winner UEFA Women’s Champions League runner-up |
| Manchester City | England | FA Women’s Super League runner-up Women’s FA Cup semifinalist UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinalist |
| Paris Saint-Germain | France | France Division 1 champion UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinalist |
2021 Men’s Defender of the Year
Winner: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus / Italy)
Bonucci, who finished 14th in the Ballon d’Or voting , won the Defender of the Year award for leading Italy on its run to the UEFA Euro 2021 title.
Including Bonucci, four of the six finalists were also in the running for the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
| Player | Club | National Team | Age |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool | England | 23 |
| Cesar Azpilicueta | Chelsea | Spain | 32 |
| Leonardo Bonucci | Juventus | Italy | 34 |
| Giorgio Chiellini | Juventus | Italy | 37 |
| Ruben Dias | Manchester City | Portugal | 24 |
| Antonio Rudiger | Chelsea | Germany | 28 |
2021 Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year
Winner: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG / Italy)
The Yashin Trophy winner claimed another piece of silverware after helping Italy win the UEFA Euro 2021 title with his penalty-kick heroics.
All the other finalists were among the Top 10 players eligible for the Yashin Trophy award at the Ballon d’Or.
| Player | Club | National Team | Age |
| Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid | Belgium | 29 |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | PSG | Italy | 22 |
| Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa | Argentina | 29 |
| Edouard Mendy | Chelsea | Senegal | 29 |
| Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | Germany | 35 |
2021 Men’s Coach of the Year
Winner: Roberto Mancini
The Italian national team made a clean sweep of the trophies for which the team and its players were eligible. Mancini not only led Italy to the Euro 2021 title, but also to a record 37-match unbeaten streak.
But Mancini will have his work cut out for him to help Italy to make the World Cup after dropping into the playoffs, where the Italians will likely have to contend with Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.
The men’s Coach of the Year was always going to be an interesting selection, especially when it came to weighing the achievements of club coaches and national team coaches.
| Coach | Team | Age | 2021 Honors |
| Didier Deschamps | France | 53 | UEFA Nations League winner UEFA Euro 2021 Rd of 16 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| Hansi Flick | Bayern Munich / Germany | 56 | Bundesliga champion FIFA Club World Cup winner UEFA Champions League quarterfinalist FIFA World Cup qualification |
| Pep Guardiola | Manchester City | 50 | English Premier League champion English League Cup winner UEFA Champions League finalist FA Cup semi-finalist |
| Roberto Mancini | Italy | 57 | UEFA Euro 2021 winner UEFA Nations League semifinalist 37-match record unbeaten streak |
| Lionel Scaloni | Argentina | 43 | Copa America 2021 winner FIFA World Cup qualification 27-match unbeaten streak |
| Thomas Tuchel | Chelsea | 48 | UEFA Champions League winner FA Cup finalist |
2021 Men’s National Team of the Year
Winner: Italy
After Leonardo Bonucci and Gigi Donnarumma won the best defender and best goalkeeper awards, Italy claimed the honor for best national team in the world for 2021.
Among the other finalists, Argentina also had a compelling case when taking into account their impressive unbeaten run though it did not reach the Italians’ level.
| Nation | 2021 Honors |
| Argentina | Copa America 2021 winner FIFA 2022 World Cup qualification 27-match unbeaten streak |
| Brazil | Copa America finalist FIFA 2022 World Cup qualification 1st place South America qualifying |
| France | UEFA Nations League winner UEFA Euro 2021 Rd of 16 FIFA 2022 World Cup qualification |
| Italy | UEFA Euro 2021 winner UEFA Nations League semifinalist 37-match record unbeaten streak |
| Morocco | 2021 African Nations Championship winner FIFA Arab Cup quarterfinalist |
2021 Sporting Director of the Year
Winner: Txiki Beguiristain (Manchester City)
Manchester City had an incredibly successful 2021 year, winning the English Premier League, the English League Cup and reaching the final of the 2021 UEFA Champions League.
The other finalists were executives who similarly constructed teams that excelled in 2021, including Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan and reigning French champs Lille.
2021 Agent of the Year
Winner: Federico Pastorello
An award for the agents! A couple of these are household names among football fans.
Pastorello was front-and-center in the $135-million Romelu Lukaku transfer from Inter Milan to Chelsea.
Esports Player of the Year
Winner: Mosaad Aldossary (Msdossary7)
Some of the top esports players from Asia, Europe and South America were represented among the five finalists for this inaugural award.
Miscellaneous Awards
The Globe Soccer Awards also managed to recognize Cristiano Ronaldo with one of the other awards handed out on the night:
- Top Goal Scorer of All-Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United / Portugal)
- Career Award: Ronaldinho (Brazil)
- Diego Maradona Award (most prolific scorer): Robert Lewandowski (Bayern / Poland)
- Africa Youth Academy of the Year: Zed FC (Egypt)
- Innovation Award: Serie A (Italy)
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