From Robert Lewandowski being robbed to Mohamed Salah placing seventh - there are arguments about who deserved to be where on the men's Ballon d'Or rankings. Messi and Deschamps do not vote for Mbappe, Messi wins Best FIFA Men's Player Award ahead of Mbappe and Benzema. He is the most professional player I have ever met, said Pep Guardiola of Lewandowski. Now of course, you know what were going to say next. Bayern's top brass are all in attendance in the French capital. FootballTransfers.com MovieMeter.com 2 January 17K+ views David Beckham (Manchester United and Real Madrid), 5. Michael Ballack (Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich), 6. His four best campaigns until now were his previous four, with excellent consistency bringing him 42, 43, 41 and 40 goals. Ronaldo didnt win anything with Juventus, he wasnt even the European top scorer. Every year he outdoes himself and he's at a great club [Bayern Munich]. Messi's seventh Ballon d'Or felt like a soft call by the Ballon d'Or jury if we compare to what Lewandowski attained with Bayern and Poland in 2020-2021. In 2020 Lewandowski has banished any lingering question marks against his record, finally winning his first Champions League trophy and scoring vital goals along the way. But who had the best 2021? Benzema finished fourth in last years award behind Lionel Messi, Lewandowski and Jorginho, but has staked a strong claim for this years prize. 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. Oops. But he will not be winning the Ballon d'Or, football's top individual prize. Messi won the seventh Ballon d'Or on Monday, but said Lewandowski, the runner-up, should have won last year. 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. 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. The Poland international has been one of the most prolific scorers in European football over the last 12 years,. Even 2021 he deserved it.but 2020 was special. Robert, you deserve your Ballon dOr, the PSG forward said when accepting his prize. Each player received points for theplacement earned on each ballot1st place: sixpoints; 2nd place: fourpoints; 3rd place: threepoints; 4th place twopoints; 5th place: onepoint and we'll soon find out which media voted for which players. However, Ronaldo and Messis dominance is over. Lewandowski is a finisher and pure striker; Messi is more of a magicaldribbler and creative force, who sees more of the ball. In an interview with Pole TV show Moc Futbolu of Kanale Sportowym, the 33-year-old has broken the silence after the 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony and he has expressed how unhappy he feels with the results. 6. 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. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. 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 2018, there has also been a women's Ballon d'Or award (called the Ballon d'Or Fminin). The records havent stopped tumbling in the new season either. #Bundesliga pic.twitter.com/gMhMYPrx3U. 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. + " " + md.getFullYear()). Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United), 10. The only variation to date in the men's game came in 2021 when Lionel Messi controversially won the Ballon d'Or and Robert Lewandowski was awarded FIFA's The Best. Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammate believes that . All rights reserved. Ive come to the conclusion that the FIFA award does matter more. So despite a relatively poor start to life at PSG by his high standards, Messi has a record seventh Ballon dOr crown. It was first awarded in 1956. Even after having achieved so much, he has plenty of targets on the horizon, and he doesnt look like missing. 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. A daily roundup of Bayern Munich news from Bavarian Football Works, By submitting your email, you agree to our, Robert Lewandowski has won the Golden Boot, and the Ballon dOr needs to be next, Stuttgart 1-2 Bayern Munich: Initial reactions and observations. He recorded 206 points from voters on his home continent, compared to Messi's 151. Football fans claim Robert Lewandowski was 'disrespected' during Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony. 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 . 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. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. Judged by a panel of journalists, the Ballon dOr ran in conjunction with FIFA from 2010 until 2015, when the governing body split to create its own and much less prestigious Best Player award. newsletter, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says Florentino Perez never made an offer for Bayern Munichs Robert Lewandowski, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge hints at contract extension for Bayern Munichs Robert Lewandowski, Julian Nagelsmann explains why Bayern Munich benched Joo Cancelo, Julian Nagelsmann sees the positives and negatives from Stuttgart, looks forward to PSG, Leon Goretzka admits Bayern Munich need to close out games better, Lesson learned: Thomas Muller will start for Bayern Munich versus PSG, confirms Julian Nagelsmann, Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show VfB Stuttgart vs Bayern Munich (ft. mini-rant) (Bundesliga). 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? Not bad for a player rejected by Legia Warsaw as a teenager! 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. How to get on these lists? 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. When we look back at the 2021 Ballon d'Or, that inconsistency will be a hard one to explain. Lionel Messi has won FIFA Golden Ball award twice. https://t.co/vh2GnA0dcK, I feel for Lewandowski. By Ryan Reid. You broke records and you would have deserved to win the Ballon d'Or. 32 - Haaland (11th) Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or Award a record 7 times in his career. And now. Lewandowski scored 16 goals more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues across all competitions in 2019-20, as he was top scorer in the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup. In 44 competitive games for the German record champions till now, the 31-year-old has scored an incredible 45 goals. 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. Why Lionel Messi's 2021 Ballon d'Or win was a snub of Robert Lewandowski, Ronaldo fires back at France Football editor comment, World Cup playoffs draw and how they work. Stats only tell part of the story in theside-by-side comparison. Instead. PSG duo Gianluigi Donnarumma and Kylian Mbappe have been announced in 10th and 9th place respectively in the Ballon d'Or voting. Toni Kroos, expressed his opinion that Robert Lewandowski should have received the Ballon d'Or instead of Lionel Messi in 2021 . Please enter a valid email and try again. Many eyebrows were raised when he was denied a first golden globe in last years event, despite winning FIFAs Best Player award in each of the last two years. 5/5. Lewandowski won more trophies andscored 23 more goals for club and country. So Lewandowski is the best striker for club and country and yet he finished second forthe Ballon d'Or? Cmon France Football, do something right for once. His haul of 48 goals last season came in only 40 competitive appearances as he positions himself to become the first Polish player to be named the best in the world. Uefa Champions League On Instagram Who S Your Pick For The 2022 Ballon D Or Ucl In 2023 Ballon D Or Messi Soccer Messi . Looking at the statistics, it is easy to understand why so many deem Lewandowski to have been robbed of the Ballon d'Or award, after it was cancelled for the first time due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Robert Lewandowski - 69 goals (2021) . Well not every sport, as there is a list of unusual sports, extinct sports and newly created sports. Lewy was forced to be a one-man-show. 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. Organisers France Football are not awarding it for the first time since 1956 because of the coronavirus pause, saying there was a "lack of a sufficiently level playing field". Lewandowski's year featured both consistency and results. var md = new Date() Thomas Muller believes that his team-mate can match Gerd Mullers record of 40 Bundesliga goals in one season. Simon Borg is a senior editor for football/soccer at The Sporting News. There was only 33 points difference between both the players. 2 1 1 1 10. A second Champions League triumph would also add to his cause, and his 12 goals across eight appearances in the competition have been crucial in Bayerns pursuit of a seventh European Cup. Their decision led to an unhappy reaction from fans around the world, especially as it appeared that Lewandowski would likely have been the recipient. The voting structure adds to the pedigree of the award, with captains and managers of national teams across the globe given the chance to have their say. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. James Rodriguez (Monaco and Real Madrid), 9. But his love of scoring goals proved too strong. Lewandowski deserved it. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. 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. 5 comment s 668 share s Honestly, I dont understand anything anymore, Matthaus said. Who deserves the Ballon D'Or 2020? var md = new Date(document.lastModified) However, the award also caused controversy many times, the most recent example being the cancellation for 2020 due to COVID-19, when many . Was it the individual stats without the context? In the Champions League he scored ten times in the group stage alone, and ended the campaign with 15 goals. One of world footballs hottest young prospects is at the centre of attention once again, with his supposedly imminent move to Real Madrid now seemingly in doubt following reports he could sign a new deal with Paris Saint Germain. Web With the 2022 FIFA World Cup now behind us the race for the 2023 Ballon dOr is well and truly on. The title already tipped you off. Mbappe is on course to collect a fifth Ligue 1 title winners medal, but that represents the only prospect of silverware for the 23-year-old this season. 5. According to them, Robert Lewandowski deserved this award after last year's cancellation. The show must go on: Predicting Barcelona's 2021/22 season . 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. This service is provided on talkSPORT Ltd's Terms of Use in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Other Bundesliga players to have won it are Allan Simonsen (Borussia Mnchengladbach) and Kevin Keegan (Hamburg). Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain), 4. Everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment. Argentina's Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or award for the best player in the world for a record-stretching seventh time on Monday, beating Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho to lift. "I want to share it with my national team teammates and thank them. 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