The 2021 Ballon d’Or Winner: Modest Messi Merry, Lewandowski Loses Again? 

Widely considered in debates of the greatest footballer of all time, Lionel Messi won his seventh Ballon d’Or on 29th November 2021 to applause, cheers, and a whistle or two. Messi took to the stage beaming, a smile from ear to ear; he claimed this Ballon d’Or not for himself, but for the entire Argentina national team after winning Copa America.

He extended the award and gave his thanks to both his former Barcelona and then-current PSG players and staff on his special night, his wife, children, and extended family watching from prime seating.

Did ‘La Pulga’ Deserve it?

Well… yes, of course, he deserved it. But the question is did he deserve it more than perpetually aggrieved Lewandowski?

Taking a look at his 2020-21 season alone, it’s easy to see why he received his seventh Ballon d’Or: 

He led Argentina to victory in Copa America for the first time since 1993, and his first ever. Of fifty-six possible games in all competitions, he appeared in forty-seven, missing two due to injury, two for red card suspensions, and the remaining five he was not selected for the squad.

 Messi scored thirty-eight goals in these forty-seven appearances, alongside fourteen assists. Per game, he had 1.11 goal contributions – statistically Lionel Messi would score or assist a goal every game, nothing out of the ordinary for him. 

Individually, these stats shine, but they drop when viewed on a broader scope. Despite being the top goalscorer in the league with thirty – seven above tied-second Karim Benzema and Gerard Moreno – and tied fifth for assists with nine, Barcelona finished third on seventy-nine points, trailing rivals Real Madrid by five points and champions Atlético Madrid by seven. 

Messi’s thirty-nine goal contributions saw him assist in Barcelona leading the league in goals scored at eighty-five, but a lax defence allowed thirty-eight goals in over the season – thirteen more than champions of Atlético. They finished runner-up in the Supercopa de España, and bowed out of the Champions League in abrupt fashion, losing 5-2 on aggregate to Paris Saint Germain.

Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, facing Athletic Bilbao in the final, but the lack of league success dampens Messi’s season as a whole. In second place is our protagonist from the canceled 2020 Ballon d’Or, thirty-three points behind, Robert Lewandowski. Many argue Lewandowski was snubbed for a second time with the 2021 Ballon d’Or – this time with the award actually going ahead. 

Did Lewandowski Deserve the 2021 Ballon d’Or?

Would he have won it all if his name was ‘Roberto Lewandella’?

On the name change, probably not… Only one Spanish player has won the award, and that was *checks notes* Luis Suarez… in 1960.  I guess that one didn’t sink his gnashers into anyone.

We’ll discuss the stats and you can decide for yourself – The place to start can only be Lewandowski’s phenomenal forty-one Bundesliga goals in twenty-nine appearances, during which he both equalled and surpassed Gerd Müller’s record of forty goals in the 1971-72 season (in five appearances less), scoring the record-breaking goal in the 90th-minute on the final day of the season.

 In all competitions he made forty appearances and scored forty-eight goals, assisting nine for a per-game contribution of 1.375 goals. With Bayern he won the 2020 UEFA Super Cup, the DFL-Supercup, and the FIFA Club World Cup, completing the sextuple, the second club ever since Barcelona in 2009. Lewandowski was named The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2020, becoming the first Polish player to do so.

He surpassed Raúl as the third-highest goal scorer in Champions League history and surpassed Klaus Fischer to become second on the all-time Bundesliga scoring list, alongside the aforementioned record-breaking forty-one goals. Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga title for the ninth year running. 

Bayern, unfortunately, bowed out of the Champions League to Paris in the quarter-finals, dampened by Lewandowski’s absence due to a stretched ligament. Considering his stats for the season, it may have been a different story had he been fit. Nevertheless, Bayern finished ahead of Barcelona in the Champions League table overall, which is another plus to Lewandowski’s case.

Regardless, both had great seasons individually, Messi enjoyed international success and Lewandowski prevailed in the league. Lewandowski may never enjoy form like this again, and may never win a Ballon d’Or, and that’s okay – at least we got to enjoy a season as prolific as 2020-21 whilst he was in his prime.

2021 Ballon d’Or Top 20: