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Ballon d'Or points breakdown shows how close Robert Lewandowski came to beating Lionel Messi


Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski came agonisingly close to winning his first Ballon d’Or trophy only to be edged out by Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi

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Lionel Messi added to his vast trophy cabinet by claiming his seventh Ballon d’Or on Monday night – but his margin of victory over runner-up Robert Lewandowski was far too close for comfort.

The Paris Saint-Germain icon, 34, collected yet another golden ball during a swanky ceremony in the French capital to pull further clear of Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won five Ballons d’Or.

Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski, 33, was widely viewed as Messi’s main competition as 170 journalists decided on who they believed was the best player of 2021.

Votes were submitted to magazine France Football at the end of October, by which time Messi had 56 goal involvements for club and country for the calendar year compared to Lewandowski’s 62.

Did Robert Lewandowski deserve the Ballon d’Or ahead of Lionel Messi? Have your say in the comments.







Robert Lewandowski came agonisingly close to beating Lionel Messi to the Ballon d’Or
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Ballon d’Or)

There was very little to choose between the two superstars and this was reflected in the voting, with Messi only edging out his rival by 33 points.

What may have tipped the balance in the Barcelona legend’s favour are his chance creation and dribbling statistics, which are far superior to those of Lewandowski.

Crucially, Messi also ended Argentina’s 28-year wait for a major honour by captaining his country to victory in this summer’s Copa America, where he was the top goalscorer, top assister and the player of the tournament.

Nonetheless, the seven-time victor acknowledged Lewandowski is a deserving winner of the Ballon d’Or and called for him to be presented with the 2020 award during his acceptance speech.

Last year’s ceremony was cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic despite many fans believing it was a forgone conclusion Lewandowksi would win the accolade for the first time.

Meanwhile, Chelsea midfielder Jorginho finished in third, over 100 points behind Lewandowski but with a considerable buffer ahead of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.







Robert Lewandowski was crowned Striker of the Year and finished as Ballon d’Or runner-up
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Image:

YOAN VALAT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Here is the Ballon d’Or points breakdown in full.

  1. Lionel Messi (Argentina, FC Barcelona, Paris-SG), 613 points.

  2. Robert Lewandowski (Poland, Bayern Munich), 580 pts.

  3. Jorginho (Italy, Chelsea), 460 pts.

  4. Karim Benzema (France, Real Madrid), 239 pts.

  5. N’Golo Kante (France, Chelsea), 186 pts.

  6. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Juventus Turin, Manchester United, 178 pts.

  7. Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool), 121 pts.

  8. Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium, Manchester City), 73 pts.

  9. Kylian Mbappe (France, Paris-SG), 58 pts.

  10. Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, AC Milan, Paris-SG), 36 pts.

  11. Erling Haaland (Norway, Borussia Dortmund), 33 pts.

  12. Romelu Lukaku (Belgium, Inter Milan, Chelsea), 26 pts.

  13. Giorgio Chiellini (Italy, Juventus Turin), 26 pts.

  14. Leonardo Bonucci (Italy, Juventus Turin), 18 pts.

  15. Raheem Sterling (England, Manchester City), 10 pts.

  16. Neymar (Brazil, Paris-SG), 9 pts.

  17. Luis Suarez (Uruguay, Atlético de Madrid), 8 points.

  18. Simon Kjaer (Denmark, AC Milan), 8 pts.

  19. Mason Mount (England, Chelsea), 7 pts.

  20. Riyad Mahrez (Algeria, Manchester City), 7 pts.

  21. Bruno Fernandes (Portugal, Manchester United), 6 pts.

  22. Lautaro Martinez (Argentina, Inter Milan), 6 pts.

  23. Harry Kane (England, Tottenham), 4 pts.

  24. Pedri (Spain, FC Barcelona), 3 pts

  25. Phil Foden (England, Manchester City), 2 pts.

  26. Nicolo Barella (Italy, Inter Milan) 1 pt.

  27. Ruben Dias (Portugal, Manchester City), 1 pt.

  28. Gerard Moreno (Spain, Villarreal), 1 pt

  29. Cesar Azpilicueta (Spain, Chelsea), 0 pt.
  30. Luka Modric (Croatia, Real Madrid), 0 pt.

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