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The 35-year-old forward also won the prize in 2019. It was not awarded in 2020 due to the pandemic. Neymar also missed the cut this time.
Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Erling Haaland and five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo were all included, as were Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
The men’s list features six Manchester City players: Phil Foden, Joao Cancelo, De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, and new signing Haaland (formerly Borussia Dortmund).
Liverpool also have six nominees: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Fabinho, Darwin Nunez, Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
The awards will be presented on October 17.
Among changes announced in March, the award is now being awarded based on performances during a regular European season, rather than a calendar year. A reduction in the number of voters was among other changes, with the goal of streamlining the process. Voters also will no longer consider a player’s career accomplishments.
France Football magazine has given out the award to men every year since 1956 and to women every year since 2018 – when Hegerberg became the first female winner – though both were canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.
with wires