Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski takes Leo Messi diss in stride; Karim Benzema threatens Real Madrid exit if Erling Haaland signs; Florian Wirtz is a bad dude; FC Barcelona and Ousmane Dembele to part ways?; and MORE!

Lewandowski takes Messi diss in stride (Goal)

Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski asked about Lionel Messi’s petty, weak, and spineless voting strategy regarding FIFA’s award for Best Men’s Player.

Messi, of course, inexplicably omitted Lewandowski from his ballot after offering some hollow words when Lewandowski was (wrongly) shutout from the Ballon d’Or in favor of Messi:

Surely, Lewandowski said all the right things publicly, but there is little doubt he probably feels like Messi’s actions were a farce.

Benzema threatens exit if Madrid signs Haaland (Daily Mail)

One Real Madrid player does not seem overly thrilled with the club’s links to Erling Haaland, striker Karim Benzema:

Karim Benzema has threatened to leave Real Madrid next summer if the club signs Erling Haaland, according to reports, with the prolific striker said to be unhappy over Florentino Perez’s attempts to bring in a new forward. The 34-year-old has scored 24 goals in just 27 appearances this season, but Madrid are widely expected to be at the front of the queue in the race to snap up Haaland, when he leaves Borussia Dortmund over the summer.

This is thought to have angered the man he may replace in the No 9 position at the Bernabeu, with El Nacional claiming that the club will have to choose between the two, with Benzema open to walking away from the side. Indeed, the same outlet have gone as far as saying that Perez can’t ‘afford’ to push his ‘best footballer’ out of the starting XI over the course of the next season, and this dilemma may spell an end in the club’s push for Haaland.

Benzema appears desperate to stay, having also told Perez that his wish is to stay with Madrid. It is believed he feels valued there, and would be willing to see out his contract which, as it stands, will run down in 2023. In the event that he does look to quit Madrid, though, Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly keen on signing him. Talks between the two clubs have begun, it is said, and an offer from the Ligue 1 giants would tempt the experienced marksman.

The circus around Haaland is getting bigger every day and now it is starting to touch the rosters of the teams he has been linked to. No doubt, this is not what the Norwegian wants to focus on during a Bundesliga title race.

Bavarian Podcast Works S4E21 (Bavarian Football Works)

It has been a good week for Bayern Munich fans (and even more so if you’re also an unabashed Liverpool fan like Tom) on the back of a resounding 4-0 victory against FC Köln that featured a Lewandowski goal hattrick and a Thomas Müller brace of assists. But of course, there are also some other topics of discussion that have popped up in recent weeks, and BFW’s dynamic duo is back to talk about them in length!

With the “FIFA Best Awards” ceremony taking place tomorrow, some contract extension talks looming on the horizon, and some tactical and personnel changes in the starting 11, there was quite a lot to talk about, with some Sabitzer propaganda and some Uber Eats league banter also sneaked in.

In this episode, Schnitzel and Tom discuss:

• That dominant victory against Köln
• Kingsley Coman’s contract extension
• The contract situations of Neuer, Lewandowski, Müller, Gnabry and Süle
• Bayern’s new-look midfield duo: Rolisso
• Why Sabitzer shouldn’t be starting at LB (another Schnitzel rant)
• The FIFA Men’s Best Player award, and why Lewandowski will be snubbed again
• The performances of the 3 nominees the past year
• The mighty clubs in the Uber Eats league and how Messi cannot stat pad against them
• A brief look at the international break

Wirtz getting credit for playmaking ability (@WhoScored)

Bayer Leverkusen Florian Wirtz is making his mark and getting a lot of notice round Europe. The youngster is going to be a big transfer target soon enough and could bring Die Werkself home upward of nine figures when they opt to pull the trigger:

Eriksen to Brentford? (Sport1)

Inter Milan star Christian Eriksen continues to battle back from suffering a heart attack during the Euros and his future could be in the Premier League:

According to English journalist Jay Harris, Christian Eriksen is facing a renewed engagement in the English Premier League. Eriksen is said to be in negotiations with newly promoted FC Brentford. The Bees are said to offer the 29-year-old a six-month contract with an option for a further year.

Eriksen has not played a game since suffering cardiac arrest in the Denmark-Finland group stage match last summer. The midfielder has had a defibrillator since the incident, with which he was not allowed to play in Italy at his club Inter Milan.

The club and the player have since terminated the contract, and Eriksen is without an employer. Eriksen had already played in England from 2013 to 2020, at Tottenham Hotspur.

No matter where he ends up, Eriksen will surely have thew world rooting for him to make his return.

Lewy, Müller honored again (@FotMob)

Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski were selected for FotMob’s Bundesliga Team of the Week:

Badstuber not seeking return to Bundesliga (Sport1)

Holger Badstuber’s injury induced freefall continues, but the former Bayern Munich defender is looking for something new rather than seeking to try to make it in the Bundesliga one more time:

Holger Badstuber, former central defender at FC Bayern Munich, has ruled out a renewed engagement in the Bundesliga.

The now 32-year-old said in an interview with Bild : “I want an adventure, that’s what I’m working on right now. That means going out into the wide world, as the final chapter in my career, I feel like it. I am a person who has closed the German chapter.”

Badstuber last played in Switzerland at FC Luzern. He canceled his contract with the blue-whites last month at his own request. “I still want to play football, have fun and push myself. How long that will be, no idea, that remains to be seen. At the moment I still feel fit and my head is fresh enough. I’m doing my part to be and stay fit.”

From 2009 to 2020, Holger Badstuber made a total of 166 appearances in the Bundesliga.

Dembele moving on? (Sport1)

It looks like Ousmane Dembele could be moving on...but who knows? That whole situation is one big soap opera:

According to Spanish journalist Gerard Romero, Ousmane Dembélé from FC Barcelona will not extend his contract with the Catalans, which expires in the summer, and will therefore leave Barcelona in the coming transfer window at the latest.

According to the report, the former Borussia Dortmund winger, through his agent Moussa Sissoko, has turned down the latest offer from Barca officials.

On the part of Dembélés, in addition to a total gross salary of 200 million euros, they also demand 20 million euros in commission for his advisors and a further 20 million signing bonus – too much for the financially ailing Catalans.

In response to the demands, the club threatened not to use Dembélé again until the end of the season. In addition, according to Romero, the Blaugrana Dembéle should have pointed out that being excluded from the team would not necessarily increase Dembélé’s chances of participating in the World Cup in winter.

And this doesn’t help much either: