FIFA has been granted the Best Player of the Year title since 1991. The award was co-sponsored by FIFA and the French magazine Ballon d'Or from 2010 until 2015. However, this prize has been presented only by football's highest governing body since 2016. The Argentine sensation Lionel Messi has won it six times and has been nominated for the year 2021. Messi is the favorite to win the coveted award for a record seventh time, and he will compete in the final voting against two other finalists, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski and Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah. Let's take a look at how each of the nominees fared in FIFA Men's Player of the Year title 2021.   The Finalists for the FIFA Men’s Player 2021 Award Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, and Mohamed Salah all have excelled for their respective clubs and countries in the last year. Therefore, they have been nominated for the best player of the year award. The virtual awards ceremony will take place in Zurich on January 17th. Let's see how they performed in the year 2021.   Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona/PSG) Silverware: Copa America 2021, Copa Del Ray 2021 Lionel Messi was exceptional for Argentina's national team in the Copa America 2021, helping them win the trophy for the first time in 28 years. Messi scored four goals and assisted on five others in the tournament. It was Messi's first-ever international trophy with Argentina. Apart from his contributions to the Argentina national team, Messi also helped FC Barcelona finish in the top three of La Liga in the 2020/2021 season and win the Copa Del Rey. Messi joined PSG in the 2021 summer transfer window and has already made an impact on his new team in the UEFA Champions League. So, Lionel Messi is the frontrunner to win the FIFA Men's Player 2021 Award. Read Messi among 4 PSG players who test positive for COVID-19 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich) Silverware: Bundesliga 2021, DFL-Supercup 2021 Robert Lewandowski edged Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to win the FIFA Men's Player of the Year award for 2020 in the final voting. He enjoyed another fantastic season with FC Bayern Munich in Germany. Lewandowski not only helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga in 2021, but he also beat Gerd Muller's record for most goals in a single season. Lewandowski had the most goals in a single season with 41 in the 2020/2021 season. He had a decent tournament for Poland at EURO 2020, but he couldn't help his team advance to the knockout stage. No one can deny Lewandowski's contribution to Bayern Munich, and he has rightfully earned a spot among the top three contenders.  Read Bangladesh’s U-19 SAFF Women’s Championship victory to serve as a harbinger of success in football Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)  Silverware: N/A Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah has been in superb form since the start of the 2021/2022 season. He has 23 goals in 26 games so far this season. Many experts believe he is the finest forward in the world right now. Salah's outstanding play has not gone unnoticed by football experts, despite the fact that he did not win any trophies with his club or country last year. Therefore, Mohamed Salah is a deserving candidate for the Best FIFA Men’s Player 2021 Award. Verdict Lionel Messi will be slightly ahead of the other two candidates to win the FIFA Men's Player of the Year title 2021 after his amazing performance with Argentina's national team. Messi was the most valuable member of Argentina's national side during the Copa America in 2021. Meanwhile, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski has been the star player for Bayern Munich last season. On the other hand, Mohamed Salah has been the driving force behind Liverpool's forward line for the past two seasons. Therefore, selecting the final winner will be challenging, but the honor will hopefully go to the most deserving candidate.  Read Top 10 Most Memorable Football Moments of 2021

Two goals from Mohamed Salah. A double as well from Roberto Firmino. All with 20-year-old midfielder Curtis Jones playing a part for Liverpool. The only Liverpool goal without a direct role for Jones came from Sadio Mane in a 5-1 victory at Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday. The six-time European champions benefited from poor goalkeeping from Diogo Costa to make it two wins out of two in Group B, which they lead by two points from Atlético Madrid after the Spanish champions won 2-1 at AC Milan. Read:Newcomer Sheriff stuns Real Madrid 2-1 in Champions League The goals started flowing in Porto in the 18th minute after Jones cut in on his right foot to fire in a low shot which Costa weakly parried into Zaidu Sanusi and Salah pounced from close range. The goalkeeping was even more questionable just before halftime. A sweeping move from left wing to right allowed James Milner to whip a low cross into the penalty area where Costa inexplicably put his arms behind his back to allow the ball to run to Mane, who gratefully accepted a fifth goal in five matches against the Portuguese side. Costa denied Diogo Jota’s fierce drive early in the second half before Salah showed him how it should be done as Jones’ driving run from deep teed up the Egypt striker, who took one touch before firing past Costa on the hour. Jota hit the side netting before Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp afforded himself the luxury of resting Salah, Mane and Milner for Sunday’s game against Manchester City in the Premier League. Read:Messi scores superb 1st goal for PSG in 2-0 win against City Mehdi Taremi pulled one back in the 74th minute with a diving header but there was still time for more Costa eccentrics as he raced out of his goal for a ball he was never going to get. Receiving a high ball from Jones, Firmino rolled a shot past Costa from 30 yards (meters) and, despite the goalkeeper’s despairing run and dive, it crept over the line. Firmino benefited from a deflected shot from Jones to slot home a second in the 81st.