Ballon d'Or 2020: Why Robert Lewandowski deserves it

With the Ballon d'Or ceremony only a few months away, the race to remain in pole position to win the award is heating up. Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is one of the front-runners to win the award for the first time after a thoroughly successful and trophy-laden year in Germany.

Robert Lewandowski is arguably the best striker in the world at the moment. The Polish forward has terrorised the Bundesliga with his presence in the final third this season and has broken a number of individual records while leading his club to its 8th consecutive Bundesliga title.

51 goals in 43 games for Robert Lewandowski this season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/eU8UiBpUfE

— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 4, 2020

Robert Lewandowski is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or this year

The duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has dominated Ballon d'Or ceremonies over the past decade. The two modern-day legends have been nearly infallible for several years and have won an incredible 11 Ballon d'Or awards between them.

This year, however, neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo can match Robert Lewandowski in terms of goalscoring statistics. The Polish forward has scored 51 goals in 43 goals this season and is set to add to his tally in the Champions League.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo may miss out on the Ballon d'Or this year

Lionel Messi did become the first player in La Liga history to record more than 20 goals and 20 assists in a single season and has had a stellar individual year but is likely to miss out on the Ballon d'Or because of Barcelona's failures in Spain's domestic competitions.

Cristiano Ronaldo may win the Serie A title and finish as Italy's top-scorer this season but the Portuguese forward's Ballon d'Or chances hinge on his ability to win Juventus the Champions League.

🥇@lewy_official 🥈@DeBruyneKev 🥉Sadio Mané https://t.co/MI41mpHVYD

— Robin van Persie (@Persie_Official) July 8, 2020

Bayern Munich is one of the best teams in Europe at the moment and is one of the favourites to win the Champions League. The German giants destroyed Chelsea by a margin of a 3-0 in the first leg of the round of 16 and are set to qualify for the quarterfinals of the competition.

Lewandowski has been a lethal presence for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. The veteran striker surpassed the highest number of goals scored by a non-German player in the Bundesliga with 34 successful strikes and carried Bayern Munich to yet another domestic league title.

Lewandowski scored twice in the DFB-Pokal final

In addition to the Bundesliga title, Robert Lewandowski also won the DFB-Pokal with Bayern Munich this year. The prolific forward scored seven goals in only four appearances in the competition and his two goals in the final helped Bayern Munich overcome a talented Bayer Leverkusen side.

The Polish hitman already has 11 goals in the Champions League and will be crucial to Bayern Munich's attempt to dominate Europe this season. The Germans are the most in-form team in the continent and Robert Lewandowski will certainly become a Ballon d'Or favourite if he manages to win the treble.

Bayern Munich still has 90 minutes to play against Chelsea and will face either Barcelona or Napoli in what promises to be an enthralling knock-out fixture. The path to Champions League glory is daunting for Bayern Munich but with potential Ballon d'Or winner Robert Lewandowski in the best form of his life, the trophy may not be as distant as it seems.

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