France Football cancelled the Ballon d’Or ceremony in 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s thought that then-Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski would’ve won the award
Robert Lewandowski could finally be given the Ballon d’Or – four years after missing out on the chance to win it because of Covid-19.
During the height of the global pandemic, organisers France Football decided that the award wouldn’t be handed out for 2020, as multiple leagues and competitions had been curtailed. The Bundesliga and Champions League restarted over the summer, however, and Lewandowski was the talisman for Hansi Flick’s treble-winning Bayern Munich side.
As superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had endured relative down years, while Kylian Mbappe and Neymar lost to Bayern in the Champions League final, the Pole would’ve been considered a shoo-in to win his first ever Ballon d’Or. What’s more, Lewandowski finished the calendar year with a staggering 47 goals in 44 appearances, the most in Europe.
The award was back up for grabs in 2021 and despite Lewandowski enjoying another remarkable 12 months which included notching a record-breaking 41 goals in 29 Bundesliga games, Messi won his seventh Ballon d’Or in a hotly-debated decision. During his speech, Messi even declared: “Robert, you deserve your Ballon d’Or.”
Three years on his loss, Lewandowski could be honoured with a retrospective win when the 2024 ceremony takes place in October. According to Spanish newspaper Sport, France Football are considering award the 35-year-old with the Ballon d’Or for 2020.
It’s claimed that there’s currently an investigation into Messi’s 2021 win, as the Argentine had recently signed for Paris Saint-Germain and was playing in the city where the historic French magazine is based. 2020 remains the only year which the Ballon d’Or hasn’t been awarded ever since inaugural winner Stanley Matthews took home the prize aged 41.
Lewandowski, now of Barcelona, recently said that it’d be a ‘great honour’ to win the award retrospectively. “Of course I would have liked to receive the Ballon d’Or award,” the Poland captain told Sport Bild last month.
Lewandowski added: “I’ve heard that there are rumours about a retrospective award for 2020. This year was outstanding for me, I was at my highest level, we won everything.
“Let’s put it this way: If I were to receive the Ballon d’Or 2020 four years later, I certainly wouldn’t play offended – it would be a great honour and I would accept the award.”
