"He has been undervalued" - Ruud Gullit claims Lewandowski is 'unlucky' to play in same era as Ronaldo and Messi

Former Netherlands international Ruud Gullit believes Robert Lewandowski has been undervalued because of the presence of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 33-year-old finished behind Messi in the race for the Ballon d’Or in 2021, and missed out on the award for a second year running.

The Poland striker did win the Best FIFA Men’s Player of the year award in 2021, but is still without a Ballon d’Or despite his stellar displays for club and country.

Gullit, who lifted the award in 1987, feels Lewandowski has done a great job with Bayern Munich but is unlucky because of Messi and Ronaldo.

"I think he has been very unlucky that he is playing in an era with (Cristiano) Ronaldo and Messi. He has been undervalued, a little bit. They didn’t notice him that much and that’s a pity because he has done a great job with Bayern (Munich), scoring so many goals.

"He has also been unlucky because Poland have not managed to win a major prize as a country. That would have given him more stature. That is the reason why he didn't win the Ballon d'Or. He won the Best FIFA Men's Player award, which was some sort of recognition.

"I understand the frustration. In my mind, I thought he won, so that came as a surprise. He's not cheated. It’s just the opinion of a lot of journalists, footballers and coaches. Surely, it was a surprise. I am happy he won the FIFA award. I personally feel he'd rather win the Ballon d'or."

Lewandowski will hope to end his Ballon d'Or wait in 2022

Messi and Ronaldo may have won 12 Ballon d’Or’s between them, but their powers seem to be waning.

While Ronaldo has not matched his usual goal-scoring numbers at Manchester United, Messi has made a slow start to life at PSG.

Lewandowski, on the other hand, is showing no signs of slowing down at Bayern Munich.

The Poland international is currently the top-scorer in the Bundesliga with 23 goals. He has scored nine goals in the Champions League too, which is more than what Messi and Ronaldo managed over the group stages.

Lewandowski is aging like fine wine and will hope to beat competition from the likes of Mohamed Salah and Karim Benzema to finally lift the Ballon d’Or later this year.