Robert Lewandowski wins Striker of the Year at Ballon d’Or 2021 award ceremony after prolific year with Bayern Munich The Polish striker won the inaugural trophy at the award ceremony in Paris.
Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski have received the first Striker of the Year award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
The new award was announced just before the shortlist ranking started to be revealed, with Club of the Year also set to be handed out for the first time.
Lewandowski’s free-scoring consistency made him a favourite to win the 2020 Ballon d’Or which was ultimately cancelled, and he was similarly among the contenders to win this year’s award.
Other forwards including Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi were still in the running for the main Ballon d’Or prize at the time Lewandowski was crowned top striker – though as a surprise inclusion at the ceremony, little is known over the criteria for selection.
Lewandowski’s figures
The Polish striker netted a whopping 64 goals last season, which means that he scored 18 more than second-top scorer Kylian Mbappe and 22 more than third-top scorer Messi.
Lewandowski was also awarded the 2021 Golden Boot after scoring as many as 41 times in the Bundesliga last season.
“I am very proud to be here,” said Lewandowski at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
“I am very proud of this trophy. I have to thank my teammates, coach and staff [for] the synergy between striker and team.”
