Potent Pole: The story behind Lewandowski’s Ballon d’Or nomination

When Blackburn Rovers attempted to sign Robert Lewandowski in 2010, the Pole is unlikely to have envisioned himself as a member of the 23-man Ballon d’Or shortlist three years later. Had he made the move to Lancashire instead of Borussia Dortmund, it is unlikely that this article would be written – would he have had the same impact in England as in Germany, and would Sam Allardyce have been able to bring out the same qualities which Jurgen Klopp has elicited?

That question is irrelevant; after scoring 74 goals in three season with Dortmund, Lewandowski now finds himself as a member of the prestigious Ballon d’Or shortlist.

Major Honours This Year

Lewandowski was a member of the Dortmund team which finished as runners-up in the Champions League last season, whilst he also finished second in the Bundesliga. It was a season of second-places for the Pole, who scored 24 goals to leave him a place behind top Bundesliga goalscorer Stefan Kiessling, and was beaten in the Champions League scoring stakes by Cristiano Ronaldo despite scoring 10 goals.

Who is Robert Lewandowski?

After starting his career with Varsovia Warsaw, Lewandowski moved to Lech Poznan following a season where he finished as top scorer in the Polish second division aged just 19.

Two seasons later, after topping the goalscoring charts in the Polish first division, Dortmund called; the 32 goals Lewandowski scored in 58 games for Poznan convinced Jurgen Klopp to pay around €4.5 million for the striker.

In his second season at Dortmund, the Pole scored 22 times after capitalising on an injury to their first-choice forward Lucas Barrios, helping his side to a momentus Bundesliga title. He repeated his scoring exploits the following year, scoring 24 goals; this included a run of 12 consecutive games, the German side’s longest ever, as Dortmund defended their league crown.

Key Stats

Lewandowski is a perpetual threat to any team which he plays against; this is shown by his 71% shot accuracy and 17.6% conversion rate. Indeed, throughout his time at Dortmund the Pole has scored more than one goal every two games, and this has continued into the 2013-14 season – he has scored six times in ten matches so far this year.

Does He Deserve His Nomination?

Yes. Lewandowski’s breathtaking performance alone against Real Madrid in last year’s Champions League semi-final is deserving of a nomination for this prize; it highlights him as one of the leading players in world football. His goalscoring exploits have made him one of the most sought after strikers in Europe, and this makes him worthy of nomination. He has led the line impressively for Jurgen Klopp’s men, one of the most captivating teams in the past few years.

Does He Have a Chance of Winning?

No. Despite being an out-and-out striker, Lewandowski does not equal the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in terms of goals scored. Although his performances in the Champions League last year showed that he is a genuine world-class striker, Lewandowski unfortunately cannot be counted in the same category as Messi and Ronaldo. While Lewandowski will go down as one of the most potent strikers of his generation, it’ll take one of the best strikers of all time to get in amongst the the Argentine and the Portuguese.