Robert Lewandowski is on a mission to win the Ballon d’Or, with the striker even going public with the admission that he swapped Bayern Munich for Barcelona over the summer season in a bid to enhance his possibilities of lastly claiming the award.
Lewandowski spent eight extremely worthwhile years in Germany and was positioned as favourite to win the Ballon d’Or in 2020 after a peerless run of form noticed him rating fifty five targets in forty seven video games as Bayern powered to a league, cup and Champions League treble. nonetheless, the striker was then cruelly denied his likelihood by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which noticed the event cancelled.
The 34-12 months-previous — who did win again-to-again males’s FIFA primarily the solely awards in 2020 and 2021, whereas additionally choosing up the 2021 Striker of the 12 months award on the Ballon d’Or ceremony — signed for Barcelona for €forty five million this summer season and has mentioned that his choice was no decrease than partially influenced by a calculated plot to enhance his possibilities of lastly getting his arms on the Ballon d’Or itself.
“i do know that Barcelona is the crew the place primarily the most gamers have obtained it. i suppose the path is shorter from Barca than from Bayern,” the Polish poacher informed Marca.
Lewandowski has his eyes on the prize 🏆👀 pic.twitter.com/djFUXsLfeO
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 21, 2022
certainly, statistics show that Barcelona gamers have obtained European soccer’s most prestigious particular person award extra instances than every fully different membership — although if truth be informed these numbers are significantly skewed by the very actuality Lionel Messi obtained it seven instances all by way of his stint at Camp Nou between 2009 and 2021.
nonetheless, with eleven targets in his first eight video games for Barca already this season, it truly appears like Lewandowski is extreme about chasing down the Ballon d’Or that so cruelly eluded him two years in the past.
on condition that the Catalans have seen their gamers declare the award on better than twice the quantity of occasions that Bayern have as a outcome of the inaugural ceremony in 1956 (which was obtained by Sir Stanley Matthews, Blackpool’s solely recipient thus far), it appears like historic previous might very properly be on his side.
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Barcelona (thirteen Ballon d’Or winners, 6 fully different gamers)
Over half of Barca’s whole Ballon d’Or wins had been amassed by one man: with Messi accountable for the membership’s final seven triumphs, taking prime spot in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021 — the 12 months all by way of which he left the membership to affix Paris Saint-Germain on a free swap.
earlier to Messi’s run of dominance, the Catalans noticed Ronaldinho (2005), Rivaldo (1999), Hristo Stoichkov (1994), Johan Cruyff (1973, 1974) and Luis Suarez (1960) win the award whereas sporting their well-known blaugrana stripes.
exact Madrid (eleven winners, 7 gamers)
on condition that Karim Benzema is odds-on favourite to win this 12 months’s award, exact Madrid’s depend is at risk of rise to 12 inside the shut to future, however till then they proceed to be on eleven.
Luka Modric (2018) is Los Blancos‘ newest winner although no participant has claimed extra Ballon d’Ors for the Spanish giants than Cristiano Ronaldo (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017.) Ronaldo has truly obtained the award 5 instances whole, although the primary of his triumphs obtained here in 2008 all by way of his first stint at Manchester United.
Skipping again even extra by way of the annals, exact have Fabio Cannavaro (2008), Ronaldo Nazario (2002), Luis Figo (2000), Alfredo Di Stefano (1957, 1959) and Raymond Kopa (1958) to thank for ending their spectacular assortment.
Juventus (eight winners, 6 gamers)
Juventus’ newest Ballon d’Or win obtained here again in 2003 when Czech Republic maestro Pavel Nedved performed his decision to the trophy, narrowly pipping Thierry Henry of Arsenal inside the working.
earlier than that Zinedine Zidane (1998) and Roberto Baggio (1993) each obtained the award inside the Nineteen Nineties, whereas Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985) and Paolo Rossi (1982) ensured a flawless 4-12 months sweep in the course of the mid Eighties.
nonetheless, the Bianconeri‘s maiden Ballon d’Or was claimed all of the method all by way of which again in 1961 when the good Omar Sivori took the honours after firing the membership to the Scudetto for the third time in 4 years.
AC Milan (eight winners, 6 gamers)
whereas diploma-pegging with their Serie A counterparts, Milan solely should return to 2007 to get hold of their final Ballon d’Or winner in Kaka, who lifted the award three years after teammate and strike companion Andriy Shevchenko (2004) did likewise.
The Rossoneri additionally took the prize six instances earlier than the 12 months 2000 as a outcome of of George Weah (1995), Marco van Basten (1988, 1989, 1992), Ruud Gullit (1987) and Gianni Rivera (1969.)
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Don Hutchison and Jan Age Fjortoft contemplate Robert Lewandowski ought to have obtained the boys’s Ballon d’Or.
Bayern Munich (5 wins, three gamers)
although it by no means obtained here to cross attributable to circumstances past anyone’s administration, Bayern ought to have seen their participant carry the Ballon d’Or in 2020 — thus disrupting an impervious Barcelona-exact Madrid duopoly that had been working since 2009.
Lewandowski accomplished second inside the vote behind Messi for the 2021 award, which led the Argentine to congratulate his Polish up thus far all by way of his acceptance speech.
“i might choose to say Robert, it has been an exact honour to compete with him. all people is aware of and we agree that you only had been the winner final 12 months. i suppose [award organisers] France soccer ought to award you your 2020 Ballon d’Or, you deserved it,” Messi mentioned from the podium.
Lewandowski wasn’t pretty so courteous inside the aftermath. “i am not that obsessed with getting the 2020 award,” he informed Polish outlet Kanale Sportowym. “i might actually choose it [Messi’s speech] to be a honest and courteous assertion from an superior participant and by no means simply empty phrases.”
With Lewandowski lacking out in 2020, Bayern should go all of the method all by way of which again to 1981 to get hold of their newest Ballon d’Or recipient, with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge amassing the award for a second consecutive 12 months. The German membership dominated the scene all by way of the final decade prior with the legendary Franz Beckenbauer (1972, 1976) and Gerd Muller (1970) ending the set.
Manchester United (4 wins, 4 gamers)
Ronaldo is the final Manchester United participant to win the Ballon d’Or (2008) and even earn masses as a congratulatory nod inside the very most interesting three of the voting.
David Beckham (second, 1999) and Eric Cantona (third, 1993) each made it onto the podium inside the house of a decade, however United’s earlier Ballon d’Or winner was George most interesting all of the method all by way of which again in 1968. most interesting was the final of United’s famed “Holy Trinity” to say the award following Sir Bobby Charlton (1966) and Denis regulation (1964.)
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