Polish striker Robert Lewandowski had one of the best seasons of his career in 2019-2020 with Bayern Munich, boasting a stunning haul of 55 goals in the Bundesliga, Champions League, and DFP-Pokal. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic saw France Football put a temporary hold on the Ballon d’Or awards in 2021. When the award was reintroduced in 2021, many expected the prestigious honor to be handed down to Lewandowski (and deservedly so!). His whopping 580 voting points was still 33 behind Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.

Messi, in his winning speech, praised the Polish rival, “Everyone knows and we agree that you were the winner last year. I think France Football should award you your 2020 Ballon d’Or – you deserve it and you should have it at home.”

Although Lewandowski had then admitted to having “felt sadness,” the snub took him to the bitter end. He said, “I would like it [Messi’s 2020 Ballon d’Or statement] to be a sincere and courteous statement from a great player and not just empty words.” But why are we talking about this now?

Lionel Messi opened up about his thoughts on Lewandowski’s comments

Years following the debacle, La Pulga has maintained that he was adversely affected by the Polish international’s remarks. During the World Cup, fans witnessed Messi in a frosty mood in his match against Poland. Something was brewing!

The World Cup winner claimed the Polish international’s words hurt him despite his praise for the player. He stated, “Lewandowski’s statements bothered me because when I won the Ballon d’Or I said the thing I really felt, but for him to speak in this way bothered me.

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“I ignored him during the game because it was him and I was angry and thought he shouldn’t have said what he said. I was very angry. If I was deliberately dribbling because it was him? Yes.”

The two superstars were in fine form during the season, but fans clarified how Lewandowski edged him with his attacking output. While the Barcelona striker got back at Messi with full aplomb at that point in time, the Argentine has now clarified that there is no bad blood between the two of them. 

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Mending relationships and moving beyond the competitive realm of the sport

While many thought Messi’s backing would please Lewandowski, the Polish star seemed to have taken the message the other way around. Regardless, the latter quickly took a U-turn on his statement, following massive outrage. In a follow-up interview, the Barcelona star claimed he never intended to question La Pulga’s sincereness.

Lewandowski and Messi spoke post-World Cup. The latter clarified, “After that we met and talked and agreed that it was a misunderstanding. He was upset because what he said didn’t match fully in internet.”

With Lewandowski’s union with Messi’s former team, Barcelona, it seems the soccer star has helped them to reconcile significantly. Topics of discussion between the two now transcend beyond the pitch. Messi admitted, “Then he went to Barcelona and we talked about many things about the club, the city and everything.”

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