“There is no clear verification” – Robert Lewandowski reveals why he places FIFA The Best award above the Ballon d’Or

Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski recently claimed in an interview that the FIFA The Best award matters more to him than the Ballon d’Or. The Polish striker finished second in the 2021 Ballon d’Or rankings behind Lionel Messi despite scoring 65 goals for club and country last year.

However, he won his second straight FIFA The Best Award, pipping Messi and Mohamed Salah for the trophy. The 33-year-old striker claimed he had been thinking about the importance of the two individual awards recently. Speaking to Polish magazine PilkaNozna, he said:

“I've been thinking about these two awards lately: FIFA The Best and the Ballon d'Or. I have come to the conclusion that the FIFA award does matter more than the Ballon d'Or.”

He added:

“Only journalists vote in the latter - there is no clear verification, as many experts or former and current footballers have said. Professionals and journalists vote for it in FIFA; team captains, coaches, and they can realistically and objectively evaluate our achievements because they know how much each match, each record, each injury costs us.”

Hence, while acknowledged that the Ballon d’Or is considered more important, Lewandowski was proud to have won the Best FIFA Men's Player instead. He said:

“Maybe in terms of prestige, the Ballon d'Or is positioned higher than the FIFA Footballer of the Year. But knowing that I have received the best footballer of the world award for the second time in a row in the voting from coaches and players makes me proud because I know how hard I have worked for many years.”

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski claims he is fitter than ever before

At the age of 33, Robert Lewandowski has shown little sign of slowing down in recent campaigns. The former Borussia Dortmund striker is looking to win his second Champions League title this year and claims he is fitter than ever. He said:

"My performance tests are now giving better results than last year. As for the numbers, it seems my best time is yet to come. I feel better now than I did two years ago.”

The Polish international's extraordinary performances have led to Bayern Munich not signing another young striker. They were recently linked to the current Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.

Haaland has emerged as a bonafide generational talent who only needs to maintain his current levels in order to emulate Lewandowski. Of course, while Robert Lewandowski can be a formidable source of inspiration, Haaland still has a lot to prove in world football.