Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski deserves to be awarded the Ballon d’Or

The awarding of the world’s best player prize has been canceled in a year when someone other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could have won it.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is have a phenomenal season. Top scorer in both the Champions League and Bundesliga, the Polish star also has the chance to win a treble should the Bavarian giants get past Lyon on Wednesday and complete the title run on Sunday.

The only award Lewandowski can’t win this season for his efforts is the Ballon d’Or, the annual award handed out to the planet’s best player each year. It’s true that the pandemic pause made for an unusual season, but that shouldn’t take away from what Lewandowski has accomplished in 2020.

The award has been granted to the best soccer player in the world since 1956 by the noted magazine France Football, adding a version for the women’s game in 2018. In a bizarre announcement last month, the organizers behind the award, Group L’Equipe, said: “There will be no edition in 2020, because it turns out, after thoughtful consideration, that all the conditions are not met. We believe that such a singular year cannot — and should not — be treated as an ordinary one.”

Lewandowski would’ve won the award had he been given the chance

They added that the first two months before the pause was an insufficient amount of time to determine a winner, choosing to ignore the last few months that has included the conclusion of top leagues such as the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A. It also ignores the knockout stages of the Champions League and second-tier Europa League, two tournaments that have captivated millions over the past few weeks.

Messi, the last player to win the prize, also holds the record for most Golden Ball awards with six, a record. His rival, Ronaldo, last won the award in 2017. He’s won a total of five. Former French star Michel Platini is third overall with three all-time wins, tied with Dutch stats Johann Cryuff and Marco van Basten.

Although the award has undergone several permutations over the decades, the current format calls for national team coaches and captains of all of FIFA’s member nations to vote for the player they think deserves to win it. Originally only European players were eligible (and since 1995 expanded to players of all nationalities who play in Europe), the award has been expanded since 2007 to all professional players.

Lewandowski, nicknamed “Lewangoalski” by fans, has the numbers to make a very strong case for the award. He ended the Bundesliga season as league top scorer with 34 goals, only five of them via penalty kicks. That’s six goals more than runner-up Timo Werner of RB Leipzig. Lewandowski also leads all scorers in the Champions League with 14 goals and five assists, four more than fellow Bundesliga star Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund with 10.

There’s no one who can catch Lewandowski in the goals category at the stage of the tournament, which will be highlighted by Bayern’s semifinals clash Wednesday against French side Lyon. The winner will face Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday’s hotly-contested final in Lisbon. PSG, which features Brazil star Neymar, reached their first Champion League final in club history after defeating RB Leipzig 3-0.

As a result of PSG’s run, Neymar also makes a strong case for the Ballon d’Or this year. Also on the shortlist of potential winners having a breakout year are Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku and Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus.

Given that European soccer has come back strong since the pandemic pause of March, those behind the Golden Ball award need to reverse their decision and name a winner in 2020. There are several names in contention, but Lewandowski deserves being named MVP despite what Bayern does this week.

Not only would it be historic (Lewandowski would be the first Polish player to win the award), it would also be the right thing to do.