Bayern Munich's prolific Polish striker Robert Lewandowski won the Fifa Best Men's Player award for a second successive year Monday, with Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Alexia Putellas taking the women's prize for 2021.
Lewandowski enjoyed a record breaking 2021, beating Gerd Mueller's long-standing record of 40 goals in a single Bundesliga campaign.
"I'm happy and honoured to win this award, and I feel very proud," said Lewandowski, 33, who scored 48 goals for club and country in 2020/21.
Lewandowski scored three times for Bayern at the weekend taking his 2021/22 season tally to 39 goals in 33 matches.
The trophy was some consolation for the Polish striker who lost out to Messi for the older and rival award the Ballon d'Or in November.
"Robert is someone special. He is the greatest footballer in the history of our country. The best Polish ambassador and a role model for young people, not only those playing football," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Facebook.
Putellas, 27, is the heartbeat of the Barcelona women's team which won the Spanish league and the Champions League.
"This trophy is for everyone in the team," Putellas said. "The trophy will be an inspiration for us all."
Chelsea won both the awards for best coach, with Thomas Tuchel winning the men's award and Emma Hayes named the best women's coach.
Tuchel guided Chelsea to the Champions League title after taking over the reins in January while Hayes won the Women's Super League, FA Cup and League Cup treble in England.
The West London club enjoyed further recognition with their Senegal international Edouard Mendy winning the Best Men's Goalkeeper award.
Chile and Olympique Lyonnais’ Christiane Endler was named The Best Women’s Goalkeeper.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the Special Award in recognition of setting a record of most international goals scored, beating Ali Daei's long-standing mark of 109 for Iran.
The 36-year-old Ronaldo now has 115 goals from 184 games with Portugal after making his debut aged 18 back in 2003.
"I never expected to beat this record, and I thank my teammates from these past 20 years," said Ronaldo, who also holds the record for 140 Champions League goals.
The Puskas Award for best goal of the year was won by Argentina's Erik Lamela, now with Spanish club Sevilla, for his rabona goal for Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal.
The Denmark national team and their medical staff won the Fair Play award for their swift response after Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field during the Euro 2020 game with Finland.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
Company%20profile
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
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