Robert Lewandowski who is a classy operator on the pitch has carried himself in the same manner after he was beaten to the 2021 Ballon d’Or by Lionel Messi.
Messi was awarded his seventh Ballon d’Or with 613 points in the voting, Robert Lewandowski not far behind in second on 580.
Italian and Chelsea’s midfielder Jorginho came in third with 460 points, ahead of Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema and his Blues team-mate, N’Golo Kante.
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The Polish striker has been in sensational form over the past two years and would have been a strong favourite for the 2020 award had it not been the coronavirus pandemic.
Bayern Munich striker scored 41 goals in Bundesliga last season in just 29 appearances to break Gerd Muller’s long-standing record of 40.
But it was not enough to beat the Argentinian magician Messi who guided Argentina to their first international trophy in 28 years by winning the Copa America.
He also scored 30 goals for Barcelona as the Catalan giants finished third in La Liga, and lifted the Copa Del Rey before sealing a summer switch to Paris Saint-Germain.
However, Lewandowski was gracious in defeat and the 33-year-old paid tribute to Messi with a post uploaded to social media.
“To start, I would like to congratulate Lionel Messi, Ballon d’Or Winner,” he posted on his Instagram.
“I want to thank every single journalist who voted for me, and believed that my achievements were important in 2021.
“I won Striker Of The Year Award and no player can win an individual award without the strongest team and loyal fans behind him. And for me it’s no different.
“I want to thank my club Bayern Munich for the platform they’ve given me to succeed and to achieve my dreams.
“I want to thank my teammates from the Polish National Team and from Bayern Munich. I also want to thank my fans for supporting me every single day it means a lot to me.
“And the most important thing, huge thanks to my family. Thank you Mom, thank you Anna – you are the love of my life and my best friend, thanks to my sister Milena and to my friends and management team for the continuous support, the foundation of my achievements.
Click Here: See Ballon d’Or 2021: Full list of winners
Source: Mirror
