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Former Premier League forward Michael Owen has picked Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski for the 2021 Ballon d'Or.
Owen believes Lewandowski was extremely unlucky not to win the Ballon d'Or last year as it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the 41-year-old expert believes no other candidate would comes close to the Polish forward in his books.
Speaking to Euronews (via Daily Post), Michael Owen said:
“I thought Lewandowski was so unfortunate not to win it in the COVID year when it was, it was obviously suspended or cancelled that year, and I would probably go with him. There are other candidates, don’t get me wrong, Mo Salah’s had a great season, although he’s not won anything. Jorginho, on the other hand, for Chelsea, [has] won everything."
"But I am not sure he’s potentially good enough to win it ahead of players like Lewandowski, and so I would probably go with him. He has won the Bundesliga again," he added.
Michael Owen also stated that it would be a crime if Lewandowski did not win the Ballon d'Or once in his career. Owen added:
“His numbers are quite staggering. His goals in the last year. So I think I would go for Lewandowski. It would be an absolute crime if he went through his career without winning. He is a stunning player.”
Robert Lewandowski has been vital to Bayern Munich's recent success. The 33-year-old forward scored 48 goals in 40 appearances last season as the Bavarian giants won the Bundesliga.
The season before that, Lewandowski had scored 55 goals in 47 appearances as he guided Bayern Munich to a treble under the management of Hansi Flick. The Polish forward would have almost certainly won the Ballon d'Or last year if it had not been canceled.
The 2021 Ballon d'Or will be a close fight between Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi, like every other year, is expected to be in the running for the Ballon d'Or this year. The 34-year-old forward helped Argentina win their first Copa America title since 1993.
Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski are two of the favorites for the 2021 Ballon d'Or. Other candidates for the award include Karim Benzema and Jorginho.
Jorginho had a stellar 2020-21 season for both club and country. The 29-year-old midfielder lifted the Champions League with Chelsea and later won Euro 2020 with Italy.
The 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place on November 29 in Paris.
