Robert Lewandowski says he would have awarded the Ballon d'Or to HIMSELF had it not been cancelled due to coronavirus after the Bayern Munich striker scored 55 goals in their treble-winning campaign
Robert Lewandowski has said he would have awarded the Ballon d'Or to himself had it not been cancelled due to the coronavirus, following his remarkable 55-goal season.
The Polish striker was top scorer in the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League as Bayern Munich went on to claim the treble in 2019/20.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have won 11 of the last 12 Ballon d'Or prizes but finished 18 and 24 goals respectively behind the 32-year-old Bayern forward's season tally.
Robert Lewandowski has said he would have awarded the 2020 Ballon d'Or to himself
The Bayern Munich striker was top scorer in the Bundesliga and Champions League
And had organisers France Football not decide to cancel this year's award due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Lewandowski was unequivocal in his answer as to who was the most worthy candidate.
When asked by Polish outlet Sportowe Fakty which player deserved the 2020 Ballon d'Or, he replied: 'Me.
'We won everything we could with Bayern. In every competition - Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League - I was the top scorer.
'I think a player who achieves this would win the Ballon d'Or.'
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have won 11 of the last 12 Ballon d'Or prizes
But Messi finished 24 goals behind Lewandowski's tally of 55 and Ronaldo 18 behind
The former Borussia Dortmund marksman however revelled in the first Champions League trophy of his career following Bayern's victory against PSG in the final in Lisbon.
Lewandowski had previously finished as a runner-up with Dortmund in 2012/13 and played in three semi-finals with Bayern.
But the Poland captain produced 15 of Bayern's 43 Champions League goals in 2019/20 and admitted to feeling 'childlike joy' following the victory in Portugal.
'Until now, I was hiding emotions behind a thick shell, but the Champions League is every footballer's dream and I've believed all my life that I could fulfil it,' he continued.
The award was cancelled in July but Lewandowski believes he would have won it this year
'I was close many times, but something was missing, something was causing us to be knocked out early. Now that we'd won it, there was a childlike joy, something natural and spontaneous. I had no control over it.
'The most beautiful moment after the game was when I called my wife. She sent me videos of my loved ones crying with happiness. It was amazing. It's what I will remember the most in the future.'
As well as 15 Champions League goals, the Pole managed an astonishing 34 goals in the Bundesliga and six in the DFB Pokal, with two of them coming in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.