The Polish striker won the inaugural trophy at the award ceremony in Paris

Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski has received the first Striker of the Year award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

The new award was announced just before the shortlist ranking started to be revealed, with Club of the Year also set to be handed out for the first time.

Lewandowski’s free-scoring consistency made him a favourite to win the 2020 Ballon d’Or which was ultimately cancelled, and he was similarly among the contenders to win this year’s award.

Other forwards including Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi were still in the running for the main Ballon d’Or prize at the time Lewandowski was crowned top striker – though as a surprise inclusion at the ceremony, little is known over the criteria for selection.

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