Messi vs Lewandowski: Why Messi Deserves the Ballon d’Or 2021 Award
Last Updated on January 18, 2022
The Ballon D’or 2021 award is a Messi vs Lewandowski race.
Messi won the Ballon D’or 2021 award but many football fans are upset because they believe Robert Lewandowski deserves the award more.
Even Messi admitted that Lewandowski should have won the 2020 ballon D’or award which was not eventually awarded due to the Pandemic.
A lot of football fans think it is an “injustice” that Lewandowski did not claim the Ballon D’or 2021 award. However, in this post, we’ll highlight reasons why Messi truly deserved the Ballon d’Or 2021 award.
Messi’s 2021 Performance
- Most Chances Created.
- Most Dribbles.
- Most Pre-Assists.
- Most Key Passes.
- Most Through Balls.
- Most Progressive Carries.
- Most Passes into the final third.
- Most Free Kick Goals.
- Most Goals from outside of the box.
- Most Man of The Matches.
- Most Average Rating.
Messi’s 2021 Individual & Team Trophies Won
- 🥇 La Liga Top Scorer.
- 🥇 Copa América Top Scorer.
- 🥇 Copa América Top Assister.
- 🥇 Copa America Most MOTM.
- 🥇 Copa América Player of The Tournament.
- 🏆 Copa América Winner.
- 🥇 Copa Del Rey MVP.
- 🏆 Copa del Rey Winner.
Messi vs Lewandowski 2021 Stats Comparison
| Individual performance Stat | Messi | Lewandowski |
|---|---|---|
| Games 👕 | 49 | 45 |
| Goals ⚽️ | 40 | 54 |
| Assists 🅰️ | 16 | 8 |
| Big Chances Missed | 12 | 35 |
| Accurate Passes | 2525 | 715 |
| Dribbles completed | 224 | 48 |
| Chances Created | 118 | 55 |
| Big Chances created | 26 | 16 |
| Tackles | 31 | 12 |
| Recoveries | 107 | 98 |
| Points Won by Goals | 22 | 20 |
| Match-winning goals | 9 | 8 |
| Man of the match | 27 | 13 |
*Stats are from 1st January 2021 to October 24th, 2021 (Ballon D’or 2021 voting deadline day)
Now let’s go beyond numbers. The table below considers Messi vs Lewandowski’s 2021 individual and team accolades won.
| Messi | Lewandowski | |
|---|---|---|
| Team Trophies | *Copa Del Rey *Copa America | *Bundesliga *Club World Cup |
| Individual Awards | *La Liga Top Scorer *Copa America Top Scorer *Copa America Top Assister *Copa America POTT | *Bundesliga Top Scorer *European Golden Shoe *CWC Golden Ball |
| Record(s) Broken | *Most NT Goals in CONMEBOL *Most Goals in a Single Club | *Most Goals in a Single Bundesliga Season |
*Stats are from 1st of January 2021 to October 24th, 2021 (Ballon D’or 2021 voting deadline day)
Final Thought
Lewandowski scores a lot of goals, that’s why he won the Golden Boot award and the inaugural Striker of the year award. However, the Ballon d’Or is not only for a goal-scoring ability. This award is for the overall best player of the year.
Messi is the best in both scoring and playmaking at both Club and International Level in 2021. So it’s Messi’s year. Messi truly deserved the Ballon D’or 2021 award. 👑
Further Reading:
- 3 Players Who Should have Won The Ballon d’Or Instead of Messi & Ronaldo
- Football GOAT: Former Ronaldo Teammates Say Messi is Better
- Are Goal Scorers More Favoured For Individual Awards in Football Than Defenders?
- Messi Vs Ronaldo Stats: A Classic Head to Head Battle
- Ranked: 10 La Liga Top Scorers of All Time
