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Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne has backed Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski to win the 2021 Ballon d'Or.
Speaking to the press ahead of Manchester City's Champions League tie against Club Brugge, Kevin De Bruyne was asked who would be his pick for the Ballon d'Or. De Bruyne went for Robert Lewandowski, stating that this year's award should take the past two seasons into consideration since there was no Ballon d'Or ceremony in 2020.
Kevin De Bruyne said:
"If I have to choose, I'm looking at the two-year period because we didn't have one last year so I'd choose Lewandowski for what he has done in the last two years goalscoring-wise. He'd be my pick."
Robert Lewandowski was highly productive during the 2019-20 season. The 33-year-old Polish centre forward scored 55 goals in a mere 47 appearances across all competitions as Bayern Munich went on to win the treble under Hansi Flick. Lewandowski was the favorite to win the Ballon d'Or last year, only for the award to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite missing out on the award in 2020, Robert Lewandowski's form has still not suffered. The Bayern Munich ace netted 48 goals last season and has already scored 15 times in just 11 matches in the current campaign.
Kevin De Bruyne himself had a respectable 2020-21 season with Manchester City. The 30-year-old playmaker scored 10 goals and provided 18 assists as Pep Guardiola's side lifted the Premier League and the Carabao Cup.
Kevin De Bruyne nominated in one of the closest Ballon d'Or race
Kevin De Bruyne is one of five Manchester City players to have been nominated for the 2021 Ballon d'Or. Other City players include Phil Foden, Ruben Dias, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling.
Despite Manchester City winning the Premier League last season, neither Kevin De Bruyne nor any of his teammates are considered favorites to win the 2021 Ballon d'Or. This is down to the Cityzens losing out to Chelsea in the Champions League final.
The likes of Jorginho, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema are all competing with Kevin De Bruyne for the prestigious award.
However, it is worth noting that Manchester City and Chelsea have the most nominations than any other club in Europe with five players from each team getting the nod for the 2021 Ballon d'Or.
The 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place on November 29 in Paris.
