Tuesday, November 30th, 2021
Lewandowski is not a world star
Messi award mocks the Bundesliga
By Stephan Uersfeld
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There can only be one winner at the Ballon d’Or: Robert Lewandowski. That is the perception in advance at Bayern, in Germany. Then an unpleasant scandal howls mingled in the chorus of Messi well-wishers. The choice only reflects the importance of the Bundesliga.
Robert Lewandowski looked petrified for a brief moment. Not Lionel Messi. Even before that, the Bundesliga star, despite all his efforts to stage himself as a celebrity with his wife Anna, seemed strangely out of place in the ranks of the top stars of world football. Out of place next to Kylian Mbappé, the future of football, and out of place next to Lionel Messi, whose name shines in every corner of the world.
As much as Lewandowski tries this evening: He remains wooden, a little conservative and a little shrill. As always when the Pole steps off the field and becomes another. Alien in a world in which glamor and staging are just as important as performance. The goalscorer also stands for the Bundesliga image problem, which is seldom noticed internationally.
So Messi got up, took the stage and was the winner of the Ballon d’Or for the seventh time. Probably his last major individual award. A little for his life’s work too. For what he had brought to football over the years. But not just an award for his life’s work, because his performance on the pitch had also been of outstanding relevance last year.
Messi is also still relevant in terms of sport
Even if his start at Paris St. Germain has so far been negligible. But of course Messi was not recognized as a Paris player, but for his achievements in Barcelona, where he once again led his club into the Champions League, and of course much more for his extraordinary performance at the Copa. First title with Argentina, by far the best player of the tournament. That leaves an impression, even on those who were allowed to vote: the journalists from all over the world.
Lewandowski should actually have been on stage. Already in the previous year. But the choice was canceled. A nuisance for the Pole, who was the only logical favorite for the coveted trophy after Bayern’s historic run in the Champions League. But not in this second year of the pandemic. “You deserved it too,” Messi said in his speech.
Only one title with Bayern – the long since insignificant championship title in Germany – an early elimination in the Champions League, a weak European championship against Messi’s historic performance with Argentina, the winner of the Copa this summer. That glitters more than the 41-goal record in the Bundesliga, which was historic nationally, but was only noticed internationally. Gerd Müller’s goals were just a record to be beaten and not something that was made to last.
What the election reveals about the Bundesliga
Lewandowski’s second place is a sign of the international status of the Bundesliga. Records, no matter how historic, do not count so much in a league that has been decided before the start of the season for almost a decade. Bayern are too dominant and most of the opponents are too weak.
This can also be seen in the few games that the DFL can place on the hotly contested world market. So mostly the classic, the supposed top game Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund. The record champions won the last five league matches. They scored 17 goals, BVB only 4 and thus 4 fewer than Lewandowski alone, who likes to score against his old club. There are a total of 20 goals in only 14 league games.
Lewandowski and Bayern are in a classic dilemma. Your master subscription is the basis for your annual attacks on the Champions League. But with its dominance, the league has also left the circle of the top leagues. It’s getting smaller anyway. The Premier League outshines everything, then it gets thin. Despite the great Barcelona crisis and the departure of world stars Messi and Ronaldo, the focus is on the Spanish league, which also has an entire continent up its sleeve thanks to its historical connection to South America.
Lewandowski can still change his future
All of that spoke against Lewandowski, who still had to admit defeat. But it wasn’t nearly as clear in advance as Thomas Müller, among others, would have us believe. “Lewy has to get the thing – done!” He had said. Complete. Get the Ballon d’Or, just like Bayern get the championship. It’s not that easy.
Despite Julian Nagelsmann’s recommendation for his player well in advance of the event. Despite the large convoy of Bayern with coach, sports director, sports director and president, who made his way to Paris to congratulate the star and later had to give consolation. With all these obstacles, second place is very respectable. Since Matthias Sammers victory in 1996, no Bundesliga player has come closer to the title. This proves: Lewandowski’s achievements were definitely seen. Only they were properly classified.
All the insulted scandal howling on the boulevard is of little use. It is clear: the Bundesliga has become too small for Bayern and Lewandowski. Bayern have spoken out against the Super League. For them, the league is currently still their home. But it has long since become too small for Lewandowski’s striving for international recognition. He still has a few years to change that.
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