ZURICH • Nicknamed “The Body” and dubbed a “machine” by his wife, Robert Lewandowski has done what many thought impossible – relegating superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to supporting roles at a football awards show.
On Thursday, the Bayern Munich striker was named The Best Fifa Men’s Player 2020, after a treble-winning season capped by the club’s sixth European Cup.
Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, who won in 2018, is the only other player to have broken Ronaldo and Messi’s domination – the pair have won five and six times respectively – since 2008.
“He deserved it more than anyone else. He played the season of his life,” said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge of Lewandowski, who fired in 55 goals in all competitions last term.
The Poland forward has already scored 18 goals in 17 games this term, hitting the net twice against Wolfsburg on Wednesday to pass the milestone of 250 Bundesliga goals.
The fact he has taken this long to win at Fifa’s The Best awards is down to the way he proved himself in the knockout stage of the Champions League last season.
Despite having been the Bundesliga’s top scorer for five of the last seven terms, he was getting a reputation for choking in key games in Europe. Up until February, the 32-year-old had failed to score in his previous seven matches in the knockout phase.
All that changed in Bayern’s last-16, first-leg win over Chelsea, with Lewandowski netting at Stamford Bridge and setting up Serge Gnabry’s two goals in the 3-0 win.
When the return leg was played six months later, Lewandowski had a hand in all four goals – scoring twice and creating two more – in the 4-1 win at the Allianz Arena.
He followed that up by scoring in the historic 8-2 quarter-final rout of Barcelona – their worst defeat in Europe – and netted again in the 3-0 semi-final win over Lyon.
Lewandowski finished as the competition’s top scorer with 15 goals, two short of Ronaldo’s record for a single season and was dubbed “Lewangoalski” by teammate Thomas Muller.
He also finished top scorer in the Bundesliga and the German Cup.
In October, he was named Uefa’s Player of the Year after Bayern added the Uefa Super Cup to their Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League titles and he could complete the set in February if the Bavarian giants win the Club World Cup in Qatar.
On the biggest individual award he has received, Lewandowski, who also led his country to Euro 2020 qualification, said: “To win such an award and share this title with Messi and Ronaldo, is unbelievable and means so much to me.
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THE BEST FIFA AWARDS
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MEN’S PLAYER
Robert Lewandowski
WOMEN’S PLAYER
Lucy Bronze
MEN’S GOALKEEPER
Manuel Neuer
WOMEN’S GOALKEEPER
Sarah Bouhaddi
MEN’S COACH
Jurgen Klopp
WOMEN’S COACH
Sarina Wiegman
PUSKAS (GOAL) AWARD
Son Heung-min
“I am very proud and happy. This is a great day for me, and also for my club and colleagues.
“This award also belongs to my colleagues, the coach and Bayern in general. It is an incredible feeling, a lot of emotions.”
Manchester City full-back Lucy Bronze won the Best Women’s Player award, becoming the first female English player to take the prize, while Jurgen Klopp was named the Best Men’s Coach for the second successive year after guiding Liverpool to a first Premier League title in 30 years.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS