Ballon d'Or 2021 - Why Robert Lewandowski deserves to win the prize ahead of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jorginho
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ByEurosport
Updated 03/11/2021 at 14:09 GMT
It is that time of the season where football supporters from around the world begin to debate who has been the best player on the globe over the past year, as the Ballon d’Or ceremony draws nearer. Fans were stripped of the prestigious award last year as the 2020 ceremony was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which makes this year even more intriguing.
Robert Lewandowski
Image credit: Getty Images
Nobody would’ve been more disappointed with cancellation of the award than Robert Lewandowski, who was a nailed on winner for the prestigious honour.
However, his performances in 2021 have arguably improved and his chances to win it this year should be similar to the year he was a certainty to lift the award.
This is a notion that is supported by his manager at Bayern Munich: Julian Nagelsmann.
"I can't think of anyone else deserving the award like he does after he over the past years continuously delivered goals," he said.
"That is what makes him a special one. He is without any doubt the world's best striker."
Lewandowski had an outstanding 2020. He was on the verge of helping Bayern to a historic sextuple as the Bundesliga, DFB Cup, Champions League, DFL Supercup and Super Cup were already secured, with the Club World Cup following in February.
If the Ballon d’Or was judged over the last two seasons, then it would be impossible to question the Polish international if he was to win the award, which Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne agrees with.
“If I had to choose myself personally, I'm going to look at a two-year period, because we didn't have anyone [last year],” he said.
“I'd choose Lewandowski for what he has done in the last two years - goalscoring wise, and also he's won a lot with Bayern. He would be my pick.”
The Poland captain continued his excellent 2020 form into this year and has produced some amazing achievements which makes him more than deserving of the award.
He scored 41 goals in 29 Bundesliga games which broke Gerd Muller’s 49-year record and this also meant that he was the top scorer out of every other player in Europe.
He also broke a club record for scoring in 19 consecutive matches for Bayern, which is simply ridiculous.
Lewandowski’s biggest competitor for the award this year is no other than Lionel Messi who has also been excellent, as he triumphed with Argentina in the summer and lifted the Copa America trophy.
The international silverware is the main reason why Messi still remains a major competitor for Lewandowski, because the Bayern striker had a better season individually.
And it is due to this that Messi would be surprised himself if he to be is picked for the award ahead of him.
“If I'm honest, I don't think so. My biggest prize was what I was able to achieve with the national team.” Messi told Sport when asked about his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.
“If not, nothing happens. I have already achieved one of my great goals. I am very happy for what happened and now that whatever has to happen happens.”
In recent years it has been the player who has been part of the most successful team that has gone on to win the Ballon d’Or rather than the best individual as we saw with Luka Modric’s triumph in 2018, as he was a Champions League winner and part of a Croatian side that reached the World Cup final.
And it is for this reason that Lewandowski has another competitor in Jorginho. The Italian had an illustrious season after lifting the Champions League and Euro 2020 in the same season. This was followed by the Super Cup and he was awarded the UEFA Men’s player of the year ahead of Lewandowski.
But this still shouldn’t be enough to challenge the Polish striker because not only was he the top scorer in club football around Europe but he was also Poland’s top scorer with nine goals in 11 appearances this year, including three at Euro 2020.
Lewandowski not playing for a powerhouse nation certainly has a negative effect on his chances. It is something that he is concerned with as he feels it puts him at an unfair advantage to other players.
“It’s a dream to be here and try to win this trophy, because I know how difficult it is. Also for a guy not from a big country – I mean a big footballing country with a great history - but I’m there." He said.
“I know what it means that I’ve come from a so-called smaller nation, where there aren’t so many players at the top level. You’ve had to do some harder work than the players from bigger nations with greater national accomplishments.”
His excellence was emphasised in Bayern’s 5-2 win over Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, as the 33-year-old scored a hat-trick on his 100th appearance in the competition, which also marked his 81st goal; a record that no other player has ever matched.
He is a goal-scoring machine and a player of his quality is extremely rare, but at 33-year-old it means there will not be many more chances to win the prize, which would be a travesty if a player of his quality does not get his hands on that beautiful, shiny golden ball.
At his European Golden shoe awarding when asked about the possibility of getting his hands on the trophy he still remained humble, despite being a clear favourite.
"I have a good chance to win it, and I’m grateful that I can be up there. I think that my performances – also in 2020 – everything that we did, what I did with my team-mates, is enough to be thinking about this." He added.
The Ballon d’Or winner is set be crowned at a gala event at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris on November 28 and if it is Lewandowski’s name that is called, then it will be huge justice for the man who has ruled for footballing world for the last two seasons.
Bailey Keogh -
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