Robert Lewandowski admits he still doesn’t know the real reason why organizers have canceled the 2020 Ballon d’Or, with the Polish striker the favorite to win the award.
When the 2020 Ballon d’Or was surprisingly cancelled, organizers explained that “extraordinary conditions” due to the coronavirus pandemic did not allow for a “fair comparison” between all players. However, after a brief shutdown, football matches are still mostly played, with the league and Champions League continuing.
That year, Lewandowski helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga, Champions League and German Cup treble while plundering plenty of goals against hapless goalkeepers. However, the cancellation of the Ballon d’Or means he is missing an award from his trophy cabinet after being deemed a worthy winner by public opinion.
Robert Lewandowski has ‘no idea why’ 2020 Ballon d’Or canceled
In fact, Lionel Messi even admitted that the Pole should have won the award when he collected his 2021 medal, although there may not be a retrospective award.
“I think this is the only year that has been canceled for one reason or another,” Lewandowski said exclusively four four two. “I don’t know why, and maybe in a few years I’ll understand why, but right now I don’t have an answer.”
Despite missing out on the Ballon d’Or, Lewandowski was still named FIFA Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021, scoring an astonishing 41 goals in just 29 Bundesliga games to break the A 50-year-old record held by Gerd Muller.
So while he admits it hurts to miss out on the Ballon d’Or, it’s still just as good to be recognized for other honours, while competing against the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“If you win the FIFA award twice and you can call yourself the best player in the world two years in a row, it means a lot,” Lewandowski said. “Of course, for the Ballon d’Or, sometimes different things related to football are important.
“But if you win the FIFA World Player of the Year award, if you compare yourself to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at the time, even then you can think you’ve achieved a lot, Because I’m so close to them sometimes I can’t beat them on the pitch and in individual trophies, so I really enjoy the moment when I win these awards.
“I don’t know how many players could beat them. I’m very proud: they are legends who write football history and I am very close to them.”
