Lionel Messi won his seventh Ballon d’Or after defeating Robert Lewandowski in a tight contest last night and once again, the little Argentinian reigned supreme. Bagging 613 points to his name, he defeated the Polish striker with a margin of 33 points as the striker finished with 580 points himself. Despite winning his seventh award, Messi took the time to praise his counterpart during the ceremony.

Having missed out on the 2020 Ballon d’Or award because of the pandemic, Robert must have been disappointed. The 2019-20 Champions League winner was the outright favorite, given his consecutive dominance on the field. Hence, acknowledging the same, Messi had a special message for Lewandowski.

Lionel Messi acknowledges Robert Lewandowski

Standing at the dais, Messi thanked his family, his teammates, and his coaches. However, he then offered his wishes to Lewandowski in a heartwarming message.

Messi said, “I also want to tell Robert [Lewandowski] that it is an honor for me to fight against him. I think that you deserve your Ballon d’Or. Last year everyone agreed that you were the winner and I think that France football should give you the Ballon d’Or that you deserve and have it as you deserve it.”

“And you won it last year, so I hope France football can do it and you can have it in your home because you were just the winner. It couldn’t be done because of the pandemic, but I think you should have it in your house too,” he added.

Although the FIFA men’s player award saw Lewandowski winning the prize, failing to win a Ballon d’Or award must be disheartening for Robert.

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Striker of the year

Even though he could not win the Ballon d’Or, the Polish striker won the striker of the year award for 2021. His goal-scoring exploits in the Bundesliga are a testament to the plaudits he receives. However, with Messi winning Copa America, it became a tightly contested affair thereafter.

While Lewandowski finished second, he was followed by Jorginho who finished third with 460 points. The midfield maestro won the Euro 2020 competition with Italy, as well as the Champions League with Chelsea. Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema finished fourth while another Chelsea man, Ngolo Kante, sat firmly on the fifth place.

With Messi receiving worldwide praise, many people felt Lewandowski deserved it more. At the rate at which he is going this season, do you think he will have a better chance of winning the Ballon d’Or next year?

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