"If he doesn't get it, I'll be disappointed" - Dimitar Berbatov picks 2021 Ballon d'Or winner
Dimitar Berbatov feels Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski deserves to win the Ballon d'Or this year. The former Manchester United striker also insisted that he would be disappointed if the 33-year-old does not bag the award.
France Football are scheduled to name the winner of this year's Ballon d'Or on Monday. Pundits, former players and fans have been debating who deserves to bag the award this time around ahead of next week's gala.
Real Madrid talisman Karim Benzema and Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah have been named as potential contenders for this year's Ballon d'Or. However, there appears to be a consensus that Lewandowski, PSG superstar Lionel Messi and Chelsea midfielder Jorginho are the top three candidates to win the award.
Former Manchester United star Berbatov feels Bayern Munich frontman Lewandowski deserves to win the Ballon d'Or this time around. The Bulgarian hailed the 33-year-old as a goal machine and insisted that he would be disappointed if he does not bag the award. He said:
"We live in the era of Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo. We are happy enough to play against them and with them - I was lucky enough to do that. But for me, this year Robert Lewandowski has been a goal machine. He deserves to win the Ballon d'Or based on everything he's doing and the goals he's scoring. Of course, last year, they didn't award the Ballon d'Or and he deserved it then. So not only because of that, but overall, for his play and goals, this is his year and if he doesn't get it I'll be disappointed", Berbatov wrote in his Betfair column.
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Could Lewandowski win his first Ballon d'Or award on Monday? Or will Messi bag his seventh?
Robert Lewandowski is a strong candidate for this year's Ballon d'Or
Many believe Robert Lewandowski deserved to win the Ballon d'Or last year. However, France Football chose not to hand out the award on the back of the pandemic and the lockdown.
If Robert Lewandowski doesn’t win Ballon d'Or this time around, we may as well just cancel any future awards.
He’s with out a shadow of a doubt the best player over the past 2 years.
A goal machine that truly deserves the title as worlds best player, at least once! https://t.co/iTqdtmfVlt
Lewandowski, though, remains a strong candidate to bag the award this time around. The Poland international scored 48 goals and provided nine assists from 40 appearances across all competitions for Bayern Munich last season.
The centre-forward has already found the back of the net 25 times for the Bavarians this term, while also providing two assists. He also scored three goals for Poland in the European Championship in the summer.