Mats Hummels and Robert Lewandowski have been named on the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or award. Also on the list published by French magazine France Football are The Best FIFA Men’s Player Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid, PSG’s €222 million signing Neymar and Barcelona star Lionel Messi. Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the third Bundesliga player on the list. Last year was the first since 2010 that the Ballon d’Or was not awarded jointly by FIFA and France Football. Instead FIFA set up its own ‘The Best’ awards in January 2016, while the golden ball trophy for the world’s best player will be handed out separately by France Football.
Lewandowski completes his degree
One day after qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, Robert Lewandowski presented his university thesis at Warsaw’s School of Education in Sport. The Poland striker passed with distinction, according to the school. “It went very well,” said Lewandowski after the exam. The theme of the thesis, which completes his degree in Physical Education with coaching and management, was based on Lewandowski’s own career. The work, entitled ‘RL9, the path to glory’, acts as a guide for young professional sportspeople, said examiner Marek Rybinski. Lewandowski has been studying at the Warsaw university for a total of 10 years with a number of breaks owing to his football career.
Topics of this article