Top-tier forwards agree with Ronaldo regarding the Ballon d'Or

Forward Robert Lewandowski has also joined the wave of criticism against the Ballon d'Or, aligning with Cristiano Ronaldo's viewpoint.

For many years, Robert Lewandowski has consistently ranked among the world's best players. His outstanding form earned him the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award in 2020 and two consecutive FIFA The Best awards in 2020 and 2021. However, the prestigious Ballon d'Or has remained elusive for the Polish striker.

Recently, the Barcelona star unexpectedly expressed his agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo regarding this award.

In an interview with the BBC, Lewandowski candidly shared his critical perspective: “Right now, I’m not sure which is more important: FIFA The Best, which I believe is fairer, or the Ballon d'Or, which seems heavily commercialized.”

Speaking about his lack of recognition, he remarked: “No one can explain that. It’s part of football, and it’s somewhat related to politics.”

Previously, Ronaldo himself criticized the Ballon d'Or due to doubts about the credibility of its organizers. In fact, during the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards at the end of 2024, the Portuguese superstar stated that Vinicius deserved the Ballon d'Or 2024, an award that went to Rodri.

For Lewandowski, the Polish forward has reasons to feel regret for never having lifted this prestigious individual award. In 2020, France Football decided to cancel the Ballon d'Or ceremony, while FIFA and UEFA still honored Lewandowski. At that time, he was the top contender as Bayern Munich dominated Europe.

A year later, Lionel Messi acknowledged in his acceptance speech for the Ballon d'Or 2021 that Lewandowski deserved the title. However, the reaction from the forward born in 1988 sparked controversy.

Lewandowski stated: “He wants me to win the Ballon d'Or but didn’t vote for me at FIFA The Best.”

In reality, Messi voted for Neymar, Mbappe, and Benzema, which upset Lewandowski. Messi later responded: “I feel uncomfortable with Lewandowski's comments. When I won the Ballon d'Or, what I said about him was sincere,” the Argentine superstar shared with ESPN.

Nonetheless, Messi affirmed that both had resolved their misunderstanding. “We talked and agreed that it was all just a misunderstanding. I put the past behind because it’s Robert, and everything is fine. We even discussed Barcelona, the city… Everything is good,” Messi mentioned to Marca.

Although they have reconciled, the incident somewhat revealed Lewandowski's true thoughts about the criteria for voting for the Ballon d'Or, which he believes is unfair. Despite never having touched this title, Lewandowski has managed to assert his place in football history, becoming one of the greatest forwards of his era.

Related articles

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's verdict on the Ballon d'Or Zlatan Ibrahimovic provided a witty response when asked why he has never won the Ballon d'Or. See more