ROME, Nov 24: Put Robert Lewandowski in that shrinking category of people who will look back on 2020 as a year to remember. The year in which the Bayern Munich forward reached the pinnacle of European and world soccer. With 55 goals in 47 games across all competitions, Lewandowski led Bayern to the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League titles and put himself in the running for all of the sport�s biggest yearly awards.
At least all of the awards that weren�t cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. While the time-honoured Ballon d�Or won�t be handed out for 2020, Lewandowski remains among the top candidates to win the FIFA best player trophy and the Globe Soccer player of the year honour. �If you see what we did in this run it is amazing, spectacular � because we won everything that we could,� Lewandowski told The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Monday after being included in the nominations for Globe Soccer.
�This is something special. All of these awards are the prizes for something special.�
In early online voting for the award, Lewandowski was already ahead of Lionel Messi and trailing only six-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
The other Globe Soccer nominees are Karim Benzema, Serge Gnabry, Ciro Immobile, Sadio Mane and Marquinhos.
Globe Soccer has also instituted four new awards to cover the period between 2001 and 2020 for Best of the Century. Having already won the UEFA player of the year award for 2019-20, Lewandowski hardly seems bothered that France Football scrapped the Ballon d�Or during his career year.
�It�s not important, because it�s something extra,� he said.
�If I win something, I�m very proud and very happy but I cannot get it. Someone made the decision like that and life goes on.�
Trent Alexander-Arnold, a defender for Premier League champion Liverpool, is among those who have come out publicly saying that Lewandowski deserved the Ballon d�Or. Paolo Condo, Italy�s Ballon d�Or voter, wrote a long article recently explaining why he would have selected Lewandowski for the award, too. � AP
