Lewandowski's chances of winning would have been enhanced by the fact he's a striker - winners are usually forwards or creative midfielders and, more often than not, win the Champions League. Messi won it from 2009 to 2012 and then again in 2015, 2019 and 2021. . Lewandowski just had an amazing season, somehow beating Gerd Mullers legendary 40-goal-a-season record in the Bundesliga despite missing a month due to injury. He ended the campaign as top scorer in the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League with a total of 55 goals. The race to win the Golden Ball is well and truly on, with the return of the Champions League having only intensified matters. In 2020, though, there was no doubt about who would win, with Lewandowski vastly out-performing both with unrivalled goal-scoring and a treble win with Bayern Munich. Thats what talkSPORT.com is looking at, stretching back to 2000. Four Bundesliga players feature in the top 10 for the Kepa Trophy, given to the best player under the age of 21. When I was between 10 and 14, Alessandro Del Piero was the best player for me. He was runner-up to Lionel Messi in 2021. Five observations from Bayern Munichs lethargic 2-1 win against VfB Stuttgart, Sign up for the Messi has won the men's Ballon d'Or award a record seven times, Cristiano Ronaldo has won the award five times. You cant blame the Pole for feeling robbed. Wayne Rooney (Everton and Manchester United), 10. Robert Lewandowski, who would surely have won the award had it not been cancelled in 2020, is joined by the likes of Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema among the favourites for the Men's Ballon d . I feel bad for RL9 not having his ballon d'or un 2020. On 30 November 2021, he finished second in the Ballon d'Or, just 33 points behind the winner Lionel Messi . He cited his votes for the 2013 Ballon d'Or as an example: . The Ballon d'Or award is an annualfootballawardfor the best player over the previous year. An award like the Ballon d'Or needs to be based on more than the final result of a penalty-shootout lottery or even asingle-game final tipping in your favor. 28 - Vlahovi (N/A) The Bayern man is the reigning Best FIFA Mens Player and recently picked up the European Golden Shoe as Europes top scorer in the 2020/21 season after he scored 41 goals to break Gerd Mllers 49-year record for most goals in a Bundesliga campaign. Lewandowski scored 41 goals in the Bundesliga, beating the likes of Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the award. Why Robert Lewandowski deserves the 2021 Best FIFA Men's - Bundesliga It was first awarded in 1956. . Ballon d'Or 2021 live: Latest updates as Lionel Messi wins over Salah It might not seem that long ago since Karim Benzema was picking up the 2022 Ballon d'Or, but the race for the 2023 award has already picked up plenty of steam. Lewandowski deserves the Ballon dOr. Only Ronaldo (11 games between June 2017 and April 2018) has ever scored in more consecutive European Cup games. While he is loved in Bavaria, in Poland he is a national hero. Most goals scored in Europe's top five leagues + UCL + UEL in 2021: We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Hopefully, France Football can give it to you because you would have been the true . Gareth Bale (Tottenham and Real Madrid), 8. While Ronaldo currently has more goals overall, Messi has the edge in the scoring department, with a higher season average (37.9 to 35), having hit a high of 73 goals in 2011-12, though his average dropped after a disappointing maiden campaign at PSG in 2021-22. Who is the best Ballon d'Or winner? It made for a curiouscoincidence that France Football, the publication thathas been awarding theBallon d'Orsince 1956, came up with a new award in 2021 to honor the best striker in the world. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. Hopefully, France Football could deliver it to you and you can have it in your home. He is a natural athlete; perhaps more than he is given credit for. 2020 Awards: Robert Lewandowski - World Soccer 30 - Mbapp (9th) 1 Answer The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award presented by the French news magazine France Football. Only the 2022/23 season achievements will be taken into account. Messi won the seventh Ballon d'Or on Monday, but said Lewandowski, the runner-up, should have won last year. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. But he will not be winning the Ballon d'Or, football's top individual prize. When asked by Sportowe Fakty which player he felt deserved to win the 2020 Ballon dOr, Lewandowski simply replied: Me. He is the most professional player I have ever met, said Pep Guardiola of Lewandowski. Robert Lewandowski was named as Striker of the Year on Monday night as French magazine *France Football* presented the award for the first time this year at . Ballon d'Or 2021 - Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski wins 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. Robert, you deserve your Ballon dOr, the PSG forward said when accepting his prize. Ballon d'Or Winner Will Give His Award To Robert Lewandowski If He That ended two years ago with midfielder Modric winning after a Champions League final success and Croatia's run to the 2018 World Cup final. This is partly theirs as well.". Xavi - Messi Ballon d'Or win is 'football justice', BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - MARCH 12: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool at American Express Community Stadium on March 12, 2022 in Brighton, United King. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Here is the Ballon d'Or points breakdown in full. The 2020 edition of the Ballon d'Or was controversially cancelled by France Football, who cited the COVID-19 pandemic as their reason for doing so. In 44 competitive games for the German record champions till now, the 31-year-old has scored an incredible 45 goals. Ive been thinking about these two awards lately: FIFA Best Player and the Ballon dOr," he said. He recorded 206 points from voters on his home continent, compared to Messi's 151. Former Ballon d'Or winner Lothar Matthaus was also critical of the voting process. Everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment. View our online Press Pack. The Poland captain was rewarded for his efforts with a first ever Champions League crown, as well as The Best FIFA Mens Player award, but the golden ball was cruelly cancelled by the global pandemic. Date of birth/Age: Aug 21, 1988 (34) Place of birth: Warszawa Citizenship: Poland Height: 1,85 m Position: Centre-Forward Current international: Poland Caps/Goals: 138 / 78 45.00 m Last update: Nov 7, 2022 Profile Stats Market value Transfers Rumours National team News Achievements Career Stats of Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski - Titles & achievements | Transfermarkt Messi vs. CR7 Ballon d'Or, trophies Joshua Thomas 2 days ago. The award, widely considered to be the most prestigious individual honour. PSG exited the Champions League at the last-16 stage to Real Madrid, lost in the French Super Cup to Lille and were beaten by Nice in the French Coupe de France. But his love of scoring goals proved too strong. best No.9 in the world, he says. How many goals has Robert Lewandowski scored during his career Who deserves the Ballon D'Or 2020? "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. It was a season which lasted so long that he started it as a 30-year-old and was 32 by the time it finished. Yes he won an international trophy, but theres a difference between winning the Copa America with Argentina and competing in the Euros with Poland. It was never in doubt, really. How many ballon d'ors does lewandowski have? ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI will go down as one of the greatest players this generation. Here are five of the favourites to claim this years golden ball Liverpools Egyptian King has proved his worth to Jurgen Klopps side time and time again with a series of stellar performances for a team still chasing an elusive quadruple. As you can see by the map, Europe's voting alone would have seen Robert Lewandowski win the 2021 Ballon d'Or. The ceremony for the Fifa Best Awards - which are slightly less prestigious - was also cancelled, although Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge saysexternal-link Fifa will still be handing out an award to the world's best player. With the seasons hes just had, France Football cannot afford to ignore Robert Lewandowski any longer. 1997-2023 Topend Sports Network The most successful man in the history of the award will be hoping for an eighth golden ball in the twilight years of his career. He claimed his first in 2008, with further successes coming in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. 29 - Salah (7th) Yes we all knew . For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Barcelonas Robert Lewandowski gives instructions during the Champions League group C soccer match between Inter Milan and Barcelona at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. Jorginho is getting Ballon dOr shouts because of the Euros, but hes not even Chelseas best midfielder, let alone the best player in the world. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Robert Lewandowski was cruelly robbed of 2020 Ballon d'Or and striker's Lewandowski bagged 34 goals in 31 league games, with Immobile managing 36 in 37. Watch: Robert Lewandowski's 41-goal season. Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammate believes that . Messi vs Lewandowski Ballon d'or 2021 voting breakdown Map from soccer. But Messi wasn't even the most important player on his team during the Copa America. Something went wrong. "To win the Ballon d'Or is a dream for every player," he said. Furthermore, his home country of Poland gave him the number one spot. Messi was good this year, but nowhere near as good as Lewy was. His work off the ball is important for the team.. Neymar (Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain), 7. var md = new Date() Players removed: Achraf Hakimi, Mohamed Salah. Ballon d'Or winner Luis Suarez has pledged to hand over his award to Robert Lewandowski if he doesn't win the prize this year. This service is provided on talkSPORT Ltd's Terms of Use in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Simon Borg is a senior editor for football/soccer at The Sporting News. All rights reserved. The elite pressing unit that Flick has introduced at the Allianz Arena simply wouldnt be possible without the work that Lewandowski puts in up front. The Portugal star has also recorded six second-place finishes as well as coming third once. ", Messi himself also paid tribute to Lewandowski when he received the trophy: "It's an honour to be here with you today. At one stage during his youth, he even considered giving up on football to become a cross-country runner. It seems cruel not to have the Ballon d'Or this year.". Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Atletico Madrid), 9. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. From Miami to Manchester! Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has finally won one of the few individual trophies that has eluded him so far the European Golden Boot (also called shoe, but "boot" sounds cooler), which is awarded to the highest domestic scorer in Europe for the season. Lewandowski handed 2022 Muller Trophy in Ballon d'Or ceremony Gio Reyna (Dortmund) and Florian Wirtz (Leverkusen) came in ninth and seventh respectively. Ronaldo's two award wins have also since been matched by Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi. Robert Lewandowski Not a chance. Real Madrids Luka Modric took the gong in 2018 when he upset Ronaldo and Messis dominance, but many saw it as a protest vote, and an attempt to acknowledge Madrids incredible Champions League dominance. Oops. Robert Lewandowski believes he will finally be able to win the Ballon d'Or now he's with Barcelona, having twice been unlucky to miss out on the prestigious award. The 32-year-old also led Poland to Euro 2020 (which has been delayed until next year), with four goals and two assists in six qualifiers in 2019-20. Ballon d'Or 2022 - Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi since the pair of all-time greats took over in 2008.