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. Here's what the Ballon d'Or definitely is not: a popularity contest. "I want to share it with my national team teammates and thank them. He ended the campaign as top scorer in the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League with a total of 55 goals. Lewandowski's outstanding performances have been convincing this year and he can now be happy about the good result at the Ballon d'Or. The fact head coach Julian Nagelsmann, sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and CEO Oliver Kahn have made the trip could bode well for Lewy Lewandowski isn't just Bayern's talisman, he's Poland's, too. Karim Benzema has broken Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messis dominance of the Ballon dOr after helping Real Madrid win the Champions League during the 2021/22 season. His importance to PSGs attack is clear to see with 11 assists so far in all competitions, but eight goals in 27 appearances is hardly eye-catching when comparing it to the likes of Benzema and Lewandowski in particular. It was first awarded in 1956. Nov 7, 2022. And as 2021 proved, even that might not be enough. 27 - Ronaldo (6th)#BallondOr ranking in brackets. The Pole made history as Bayern Munich won the Treble, and he won the Golden Boot in all three competitions, with a remarkable 55 goals in 47 games. In the Champions League he scored ten times in the group stage alone, and ended the campaign with 15 goals. document.write("Page last modified: "+ md.getDate()+" " + months[md.getMonth()]
But Messi wasn't even the most important player on his team during the Copa America. In 44 competitive games for the German record champions till now, the 31-year-old has scored an incredible 45 goals. 5. 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. Egypt were defeated in the Africa Cup of Nations Final by Senegal, while the same opponents denied the Pharaohs a place at this years World Cup with Salah missing a crucial spot-kick in the playoff penalty shootout. Cmon France Football, do something right for once. Lewandowski's season ended with a clean sweep of major trophies and on a run of 21. Honestly, I dont understand anything anymore, Matthaus said. 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. It has been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years, with the duo winning 11 of the 13 awards up for grabs since 2008 Luka Modric briefly broke their duopoly in 2018 before Benzema snatched the 2022 trophy. To claim one, to Ferr, is to claim a . 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. PSG duo Gianluigi Donnarumma and Kylian Mbappe have been announced in 10th and 9th place respectively in the Ballon d'Or voting. 'Golden Ball ') is an annual football award presented by French news magazine France Football since 1956. Ronaldo (17 in 2013-14 and 16 in 2015-16) is the only man to score more goals in a Champions League season. The Polish goal machine just keeps on doing what he does best after netting an astonishing 45 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions so far this season. ", MORE: Ronaldo fires back at France Football editor comment. The case for Lewandowski was so strong and the final voting tallywas a tight 613-580 points, a mere 33 votes separating the two that even Messi went out of his way in his acceptance speech to recognizeLewandowski. But he will not be winning the Ballon d'Or, football's top individual prize. The Ballon d'Or (French pronunciation: [bal d] (); lit. Who deserves the Ballon D'Or 2020? He doesnt excite voters. Even after having achieved so much, he has plenty of targets on the horizon, and he doesnt look like missing. But he will not be winning the Ballon d'Or, football's top individual prize. ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI will go down as one of the greatest players this generation. Further praise has unsurprisingly come from further up the club chain, with CEO Oliver Kahn stating that "nobody deserves it more than him" and that Lewandowski has been setting the benchmark for strikers around the world for years. But despite these fundamental changes, the usual suspects are set to battle it out once again to receive what is arguably the most respected individual award in world football. In the second phase, journalists, fans, national team managers and captains all have a 25% of weight on the final results. I think a player who achieves this would win the Ballon dOr.. ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI will go down as one of the greatest players this generation. Lewandowski is a finisher and pure striker; Messi is more of a magicaldribbler and creative force, who sees more of the ball. James Rodriguez (Monaco and Real Madrid), 9. Ronaldo's two award wins have also since been matched by Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi. For more information, visit ow.ly/hElK50LwENy. It promised to be a unique Ballon d'Or battle, with the World Cup taking place in the middle of the 2022-23 campaign, meaning it could be a distant memory by the time votes are cast. 29 - Salah (7th) Ex-Chelsea ace Costa carried off with serious-looking injury for Wolves vs Spurs, Cherries take shock lead at Arsenal after 9 SECONDS with 'kick-off glitch', Moment Aston Villa's Leon Bailey inhales 'laughing gas' after all night party, 'Professional boxer' Paul teases announcement with hilarious video after Fury loss, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Poland's record goalscorer has continued that ruthless streak in front of goal in 2021 but it still wasn't enough as Lionel Messi secured his seventh Ballon d'Or on Monday night. Since the turn of the year, the Polish striker has. Thats what talkSPORT.com is looking at, stretching back to 2000. . However, this summer saw the end to his spell in the Bundesliga as Lewandowski sought a new challenge, joining Barcelona in La Liga. Watch: The evolution of Robert Lewandowski. Michael Ballack (Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich), 6. Bayern's top brass are all in attendance in the French capital. Perhaps a tweak is in order so that media doesn't get the final say. Hopefully, France Football could deliver it to you and you can have it in your home. This article first appeared in the Winter Edition of World Soccer. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno), Robert Lewandowski has won FIFA's Best Player award in recent seasons, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). The men's and women's Ballon d'Or winners will be crowned at a gala event at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris on 29 November. Lewandowski's year featured both consistency and results. Lewandowski Ballon d'Or winner odds For: Better than all the rest Nobody can match Lewandowski's output in 2021, and it's not even close. You broke records and you would have deserved to win the Ballon d'Or. The all-time record of 365, also held by Gerd Muller, once seemed like a distant dream, but now is well within his sights. The Poland international has been one of the most prolific scorers in European football over the last 12 years, joining Borussia Dortmund in 2010, where he netted 103 goals in 187 appearances. 5 comment s 668 share s Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Lewandowskis coach, Hansi Flick, acknowledges that he is lucky enough to have the best striker in the world at his disposal. Seven-time winner Lionel Messi was not on the list (for the first time since 2005), though Ronaldo did make the cut.The ceremony announcing the winners was held on October 17 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. Wayne Rooney (Everton and Manchester United), 10. 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. Lewandowski deserves the Ballon dOr. The voting will bepublished in the Dec. 4 edition of France Football magazine. Yes he won an international trophy, but theres a difference between winning the Copa America with Argentina and competing in the Euros with Poland. 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Messi's numbers may look better on paper (stats below as of the voting deadline of Oct. 24), but the twoalso play the game very differently. His work off the ball is important for the team.. This years World Cup in Qatar will take place after the presentation of this years award, and the players exploits in that tournament will be judged for the following year. He scored a remarkable 15 Champions League goals in his first nine games this season (only failing to score in the final). Messi has won the men's Ballon d'Or award a record seven times, Cristiano Ronaldo has won the award five times. Right now, he is simply untouchable as the most devastating attacker on the planet, and more determined than ever to be recognised as such. Incredibly, he has managed to score 40-plus goals in seven consecutive years and this incredible consistency surely gives him a big chance of claiming the award for the first time. As the processstands, the media members were asked to vote based on (1) individual and team performance in 2021, (2) the player's talent and sportsmanship, and (3) the players overall career. This service is provided on talkSPORT Ltd's Terms of Use in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Gio Reyna (Dortmund) and Florian Wirtz (Leverkusen) came in ninth and seventh respectively. In only two of those seasons has the winner scored more than Lewandowski's 55 goals (Messi's 73 in 2011-12 and 58 in 2014-15). Bayern Munich get the Bundesliga season under way on Friday against Schalke as Robert Lewandowski bids to build on one of the greatest seasons ever. There was recognition for a host of Bundesliga youngsters too, with Jude Bellingham coming second in the Kepa Trophy for the best U21 player, while Jamal Musiala was third, Florian Wirtz seventh and Gio Reyna ninth. Shaun Custis questions the decision to give Messi the #BallonDor over Robert Lewandowski pic.twitter.com/YT3CGyTTRt. Robert Lewandowski won the FIFA Best Men's Player Award last year and was well clear of his competition. This service is provided on talkSPORT Ltd's Terms of Use in accordance with our Privacy Policy. The 33-year-old received the honour in person at the ceremony in Paris on Monday evening, the prize coming as a fitting reward for a man who, among other achievements, set a new single-season Bundesliga goal record of 41 in 2020/21. Here is the Ballon d'Or points breakdown in full. It seems cruel not to have the Ballon d'Or this year.". Karim Benzema has broken Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's dominance of the Ballon d'Or after helping Real Madrid win the Champions League during the 2021/22 season. I dont think he commands the global image. When asked by Sportowe Fakty which player he felt deserved to win the 2020 Ballon d'Or, Lewandowski simply replied: "Me. Lionel Messi (Argentina, FC Barcelona, Paris-SG), 613 points. How to Cite. Is Robert Lewandowski the best player in the world? 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 . Lionel Messi has won the Golden Ball award, becoming the first player in history to . Read about our approach to external linking. Objective observersmight very well put Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Karim Benzema, and perhaps even Erling Haaland ahead of the Polish forward. But what did footballs top prize look like before Messi and Ronaldo took over? "I think every player who won what we won or scored so many goals should maybe win this Ballon d'Or.". pic.twitter.com/zDix2v3jO6. Not bad for a player rejected by Legia Warsaw as a teenager! Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich and Barcelona), 10. Lewandowski has been prolific since moving to Germany and Borussia Dortmund in 2010 but 2019-20 was by far and away his best scoring season. How many ballon d'ors does lewandowski have? In the last two years Messi has made the podium as Robert Lewandowski has won the title, but the 35-year-old's career-crowning World Cup triumph was the defining moment of 2022. The Portugal star has also recorded six second-place finishes as well as coming third once. Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City) has landed in 8th, Mo Salah (Liverpool) in 7th and Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) 6th. The award, widely considered to be the most prestigious individual honour in football, has been the property of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi since the pair of all-time greats took over in 2008, aside from one year. At one stage during his youth, he even considered giving up on football to become a cross-country runner. It used to change hands most years - until Messi and Ronaldo's 10-year dominance from 2008 to 2017. His pice de rsistance in this seasons Champions League came in form of a hat-trick against Paris Saint Germain, which saw Los Blancos recover from 0-2 on aggregate to claim a 3-2 win and secure their place in the quarter-finals. 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? The Frenchman scored 44. Probably not. Not bad for a player rejected by Legia Warsaw as a teenager. Ronaldo has now won the award six times in the nine years that it has been presented. In the 2020/21 season, Lewandowski scored an incredible 48 goals and provided nine assists in 40 matches in all competitions, as Bayern won the Bundesliga, DFL-Supercup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA. His record for PSG has been respectable, but not at the stratospheric heights that we have come to expect from the flea. You were the rightfulwinner [last year]. While Lewandowskis goals take the headlines, his work off the ball is just as appreciated by his team-mates, and another reason why he is regarded as the planets best striker. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Odds & lines subject to change. It's unclear whether the timing of the Ballon d'Or vote will change to account for a first-ever winter World Cup (ends Dec. 18, 2022), but Lewandowski and Poland will likely not be making a run in Qatar based on recent tournament history, and that's if they make it that far. However, Ronaldo and Messis dominance is over. The event will be streamed live on L'Equipe 's YouTube channel from. It is arguably the most eye-catching in a. Robert Lewandowski (Poland, Bayern Munich), 580 pts. Or Lewandowski's 1st? The 33-year-old has struck 11 times across his last 12 internationals, scoring three in the UEFA Euro 2020 groups and eight in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying. 28 - Vlahovi (N/A) But his love of scoring goals proved too strong. Since 2018, there has also been a women's Ballon d'Or award (called the Ballon d'Or Fminin). 1 Answer The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award presented by the French news magazine France Football. The 2021 calendar year didn't present voters for the men's Ballon d'Or with many can't-miss candidates, but there was one staring them right in the face. While he is loved in Bavaria, in Poland he is a national hero. It should be about a body of workand not a heart-tugging story. Johan Cruyff won three. From rewriting the MLS and World Cup history books to reaching 100 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern in record time Jan-Niklas Beste scored an 89th-minute winner to inflict a first defeat on Bundesliga 2 leaders Darmstadt since Matchday 1. After the last two seasons hes had, he deserves it more than anybody especially since France Football owes him for unfairly cancelling the Ballon dOr last year. Since then, nine of the 13 winners (well, four names - Kaka, Ronaldo, Messi and Modric) have won the Champions League that season. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain), 4. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. The Ballon d'Or award is an annual football award for the best player over the previous year. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. We'll soon find out whether Lewandowski was an outright snub for some of those who had a vote, and whether there were any media who didn't even have him in their top three. He finished with 613 points in voting to. Was it the individual stats without the context? Almost the entire footballing world is in agreement that Robert Lewandowski deserved to win the Ballon d'Or in 2020. R. Caswell 6mo ago LIVE Points 592 Rating Did this Help Answer Your Question? More than 170 media members around the world submitted a top-fivevotefor the Ballon d'Or by the Oct. 24 deadline. Robert Lewandowski insists the 2023 Ballon d'Or is clear already - Leo Messi is going to take it for the 8th time in his career.The latest odds share the same opinion, putting the Argentine on top of the rankings.