Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona jokingly said that Karim Benzema of Real Madrid would take home the Ballon d’Or if it weren’t delayed by another year.
Lewandowski made fun of the organizers for not giving him a chance to win the prize when it was canceled because of COVID 19 pandemic in 2020.
The Polish forward won the Champions League that year with a total of 55 goals scored. He did succeed in winning UEFA Player of the Year and FIFA’s “The Best” award for his achievements.
Most football enthusiasts believed that Robert Lewandowski who won virtually everything in club football that year was the favorite to win the 2020 Ballon d’Or. Unfortunately for him, the organisers of the award canceled it over Covid-19 pandemic.
After winning the league with Bayern Munich and leading them to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, where they lost to Villarreal, Robert Lewandowski is one of the front-runners for the renowned individual award for this year. However, he has Benzema to contend with.
Recall that last season, Benzema took home the Pichichi award and established himself as an important player for Real Madrid in the Champions League.
The French striker scored 44 goals in 46 games last season as Real Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League. But this year, the striker has struggled with ailments.
The French striker has four goals despite playing in less games.
Karim Benzema will be greeted by his former teammate and buddy Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be present for the event for the first time in five years if he wins the prize.
After scoring 24 goals for Manchester United across all competitions last season, Cristiano Ronaldo received a nomination for the Ballon d’Or as well.
Recall that between 2009 and 2018, Benzema and Ronaldo teamed up at Real Madrid for nine years and shared 15 trophies.
Benzema has taken over as the big man at the Santiago Bernabeu since Ronaldo left in 2018.
What Next For Robert Lewandowski and Benzema
When Barcelona and Real Madrid square off in the El Classico on October 16, 2022, Robert Lewandowski and Benzema will be the main stars of the game.
Both Barca and Madrid are on equal footing winning seven and drawing one of their eight league fixtures and want to come out on top.
Due to Barcelona’s injury issues in the defense, where Ronald Araujo, Andres Christensen, and Hector Bellerin are already ruled out, Real Madrid, are probably favorites to win the game.
Prior to the Champions League match at Nou Camp versus Bayern Munich, Barcelona need to get their act together and build momentum. They are not only at risk of losing the fight for the league title this season, they could drop out of their Champions League group if Inter Milan beat Viktoria Plzeň on October 26.
