Robert Lewandowski awarded his second Ballon d’Or

Robert Lewandowski got Ballon d’Or, the award for the top scorer in European leagues for the 2021/22 season, in Barcelona on Wednesday, the second such award in a row for the Polish striker.

Robert Lewandowski earned his second Golden Boot win while still in the colours of Bayern Munich, before his summer transfer to Barcelona. He scored 35 goals in the previous Bundesliga season and, with 70 points in the ranking, overtook Frenchman Kylian Mbappe of PSG – 56 – as well as Italian Ciro Immobile of Lazio Rome and Frenchman Karim Benzema of Real Madrid – 64 points (27 hits).

“I feel very comfortable in Barcelona, I hope the next year will be good for us. Barcelona is more than a club,” said Lewandowski in Spanish after receiving the award, and in English, he added that he still needs 3-4 months to speak the language fluently.

“Above all, I wanted to say thank you, both to my loved ones, to my wife, and my colleagues at Bayern and now at Barcelona, without whom all these goals of mine would not have been possible. I am happy to receive this award for the second time and only I know how hard I have earned it. I hope to win trophies with Barcelona too.” 

Lewandowski’s red card and free New Year’s Eve

Robert Lewandowski was punished in the 31st minute with a second yellow and consequent red card in the away match against Osasuna in the 14th round of the Spanish Premier League. His team, although losing 0:1 at the time, won 2:1 and consolidated their position as leaders.

The 34-year-old striker saw his first yellow card in the 11th minute for a tactical foul, and twenty minutes later he was again admonished by referee Jesús Gil Manzano, this time for hitting a rival (David Garcia) in the face with his elbow in a scramble for the ball.

This, of course, meant the Polish striker had to leave the pitch. He will be paused in his next La Liga match, and it will be New Year’s Eve – already after the World Cup.