Mbappe and Lewandowski pick up top award at Dubai Globe Awards
The football world descended on Dubai on Monday night to mark the 12th Dubai Globe Soccer Awards.
It was a night of celebration, to remember a year that saw football get back on its feet following a Covid-ravaged 2020, with Copa America, Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics all taking place alongside global domestic leagues and elite competitions such as the UEFA Champions League.
While many awards were handed out, all eyes were on who would take away the top two awards — Men’s Player of the Year and Fans’ Player of the Year.
The likes of Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Mo Salah were up against serial winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa in Downtown Dubai.
And it was France and Paris St-Germain star Mbappe who scooped the Men’s Player of the Year Award.
Picking up the trophy, the Frenchman said: “This is a big pleasure to be here in Dubai. This is an honour to see such big names here. This is a great achievement for me. I want to thank my club PSG who have always been there for me and to my national team. I want to rewrite history of football and to do that you have to be hungry every day. Now I am one of the best I need to keep aiming higher every day and every year.”
“I just want to win and win again,” he explained. “If you sleep someone will take your place and so I just want to always give everything to stay at the top.”
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Poland superstar Lewandowski was delighted to claim the Fans’ Player of the Year Award. “I want to thank everyone who voted for me and those that support me every week,” he said. “We missed all the fans in the stadiums last year and that is why we work so hard now to say thank you to you all.”
Other winners on the night included Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas for Best Female Player, Italy boss Roberto Mancini, who won Coach of the Year, helping the Azzurri win the Euro 2020 title in England with Italy also winning the National Team of the year.
Juventus’ veteran Italian stopper Leonardo Bonucci claimed Defender of the Year, while Cristiano Ronaldo was lauded with a special Top Goal Scorer of All Time Award.
The Career Award was presented to Brazil, AC Milan and Barcelona star Ronaldinho with Lewandowski inevitably picking up the inaugural Diego Maradona Goalscorer of the Year Award after breaking Gerd Muller’s long-standing goal record in a Bundesliga season mark.
Full List of Award Winners
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal and ManchesterUnited)
Maradona Award: Robert Lewandowski (Poland and Bayern Munich)
Fans’ Player of the Year : Robert Lewandowski (Poland and Bayern Munich)
Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Male Player of the Year : France Kylian Mbappe (France and PSG)
Female Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Spain and Barcelona)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Club of the Year: Chelsea
National Team of the Year: Italy
Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
