Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann says Robert Lewandowski “must” win the Ballon D’Or

With only a month or so left until France Football hands out the Ballon d’Or, people are weighing in on who should win the award. Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is, as expected, one of the favorites this year — and his coach is convinced he should win it. Speaking to Abendzeitung (via kicker), Julian Nagelsmann says his striker’s consistency is what should win him the award.

“He deserves the Ballon d’Or,” said Nagelsmann. “And in my eyes, he has to win the award, because he has played so incredibly consistently over the last three years like basically no one else.”

Lewandowski did win the FIFA The Best award last year for his incredible performances in the league and Champions League last year, but couldn’t win the Ballon d’Or because France Football arbitrarily chose to cancel the award. This year it’s likely to be a toss-up between him and Leo Messi, but random names like Mbappe and Benzema have come up in the media for seemingly no reason other than being French.

For Nagelsmann and most Bayern fans, the choice is pretty simple. Lewandowski should definitely win this year’s Ballon d’Or, and he should probably be given an extra trophy for the one that was arbitrarily cancelled last year. There has been no player better than him in these last twenty months, and he deserves to be acknowledged for it.

As for the striker’s future, Nagelsmann seems to be counting on him. “If his body stays like this, it’s far from over,” said the coach. “He is extremely dynamic, has no injuries, he can train a lot: I definitely trust him to play at a top level for a few more years — also because he does everything in his life to be in top shape.”