Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has once again reflected on missing out on the 2021 Ballon d'Or award to Lionel Messi.
Lewandowski Responds To Messi's Ballon d'Or Speech
The Poland international went into the ceremony in Paris last month as one of the favourites to win the accolade following his goalscoring exploits over the course of the year.
Furthermore, Lewandowski had also missed the chance to win the award last year after France Football made the controversial decision to cancel the 2020 edition due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He, however, narrowly missed out on the prestigious individual prize to Paris Saint-Germain's Messi, who had celebrated winning the Copa del Rey with Barcelona and the Copa America with Argentina earlier in 2021.
Below are some of the best pictures from the Ballon d'Or ceremony in November:
While he has previously admitted to being sad about being beaten by Messi to the award, he has now insisted that competing with the seven-time winner for the accolade is something he is proud of.
"The duel with Messi was a big honour," he said, according to Bild.
"It was not my decision. On one hand, I was proud, on the other hand, a bit sad because the 2020 award was cancelled.
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"With the trophies we won, I'm sure some other Bayern players would've been there too."
