Joachim Low has surprisingly argued that Manuel Neuer should have scooped the Ballon d’Or ahead of Robert Lewandowski if the 2020 edition of the award had not been cancelled.
Lewandowski, 32, was widely tipped as the favourite to win France Football’s coveted prize after a scintillating season with Bayern Munich.
The Poland captain scored an incredible 55 times in 47 appearances en route to winning a treble with the German side.
However, Low has claimed that Neuer would have been more worthy of the Ballon d’Or honour after maintaining his impressive form throughout last season.
“I have nothing against Robert Lewandowski, he’s a top-class goalscorer. But for me, the world footballer of the year is Manuel Neuer,” the Germany head coach told Kicker.
“‘Manu’ was in amazing form for the whole of the 2019/20 season and is in a class of his own — amazing, unbelievable.
“With the saves he made in the final tournament in Lisbon, he made sure the door behind him was closed.
“He played a big part in the Champions League victory. It’s great when you score 15 goals like Lewandowski, of course.
“But against Lyon and Paris, Manuel made a difference in a difficult situation. If it wasn’t for him, it could have been 0-1 or 1-1.”
Neuer, who finished third for the Ballon d’Or in 2014, pulled off a stunning display against Paris Saint-Germain to ensure Bayern captured the Champions League title with a 1-0 win.
France Football announced in July that the Ballon d’Or would not be awarded in 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the football season.
Lewandowski has made it clear that he should have won the Ballon d’Or, saying he “won everything there was to be won” and was the “top scorer in every competition.”
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand told SPORTbible earlier this month that it was “cruel” that Lewandowski won’t win the 2020 Ballon d’Or now.
source:- sportbible
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