Polish national forward Robert Lewandowski joked with the world of football on Thursday, saying that his French counterpart Karim Benzema will win the Ballon d’Or as the best player in the world this year, if not canceled again.
The current Barcelona forward was the favorite to win the prestigious individual award given to the best player in the world in 2020 when defending the colors of Bayern Munich, but the ceremony was canceled for the first time since the award was established in 1956 due to the Corona virus pandemic.
Lewandowski won a consolation prize having been named ‘Forward of the Year’ at the 2021 ceremony, while Argentine legend Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-Germain forward, won the Ballon d’Or for the seventh time in his career.
“(Benzema) could be one of the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or,” Lewandowski told Movistar on Thursday.
“If they don’t cancel (the prize), it’s possible he’ll win this Ballon d’Or,” he added.
The forward of the national team “Duke” and Real Madrid, in fact, is ahead of all his competitors in the race to win the prize presented by the magazine “France Football” at the ceremony next Monday in the French capital, Paris, after having contributed to the Real Real Madrid’s victory in the Champions League and Spanish Championship last season, and was crowned top scorer in both competitions. .
Bayern Munich won the national championship and the Champions League in the 2019-2020 season, thanks to the genius of Lewandowski, who scored 15 goals in the prestigious continental competition, on the way to winning the final against Saint-Germain 1-0.
“I wanted to tell Robert (Lewandowski) that it was a great honor to face him,” Messi said at the 2021 ceremony, adding, “He deserved to win it last year.”
