29 October 2023 , 18:00
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Lionel Messi is expected to lift his eighth Ballon d'Or trophy next week and almost all of them were won with little debate or argument that the award should have gone elsewhere.
However, his 2021 triumph was met with some backlash after a hefty portion of fans and pundits felt that then-Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski was the true worthy winner. The Poland international enjoyed a record-breaking season as the German giants cruised to a ninth successive Bundesliga title.
Lewandowski managed to break the record for most goals scored in a German top-flight season with an astonishing 41 strikes to his name. And yet, he somehow failed to earn enough votes to win the game's most prestigious individual gong.
That went to Messi, who had just moved to Paris Saint-Germain at the time. It's not as if the Argentine had a particularly underwhelming season, he'd notched 38 goals and 14 assists for Barcelona as well as guiding the Blaugrana to the Copy del Rey title.
Messi also inspired Argentina to Copa America glory, which was the country’s first major international honour for 28 years. The football icon was gracious enough to pay tribute to Lewandowski after his status as winner was confirmed.
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The current Inter Miami man made clear that if the Ballon d’Or ceremony had been held in 2020, rather than being cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Lewandowski would have been the obvious choice to win it. Messi even went as far as suggesting France Football, organisers of the award, should have named the striker as the winner of the 2020 edition as a form of recognition for his stellar scoring run.
"Robert, you deserve your Ballon D'Or. Last year, everyone was in agreement to say that you were the big winner of this award,” Messi said. "Hopefully France Football will give you the 2020 Ballon d'Or. We all believe you deserved it and I hope you can have it at home."
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Robert Lewandowski missed out on the 2021 Ballon d'OrLewandowski did not come away from the 2021 ceremony empty handed, however. He was named Striker of the Year, an award that paled in comparison to Messi's triumph.
Not one to bemoan his hard luck, Lewandowski simply praised Messi for taking home the main award for the Men's game and congratulated Women’s Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas.
"Congratulations Leo Messi and Alexia Putellas winners of the Ballon d'Or 2021, congratulations also to all nominated players!" Lewandowski tweeted.
"I won Striker of the Year Award and no Player can win an individual award without strongest team and loyal fans behind him. Thank you for your support."