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Robert Lewandowski was named UEFA Player of the Year ahead of Manuel Neuer and Kevin de Bruyne.© AFP
Robert Lewandowski was named UEFA Men’s Player of the Year on Thursday after an excellent season in which he won the hat-trick with Bayern Munich. Lewandowski was in the Champions League group stage draw in Geneva to receive the award, just weeks after Bayern won the 2019/20 edition of the competition. The Polish forward, who scored 55 goals in 47 games in which Bayern also won the Bundesliga and the German Cup, edged out Bayern teammate Manuel Neuer and Manchester City Kevin de Bruyne to win the award.
“It’s an incredible feeling, because you work so hard, so this trophy is something special,” Lewandowski said after receiving the award.
“I have to thank my teammates and coaches who helped me get to where I am. My family has also given me a lot of support and it is very important.”
Lewandowski also picked up the best striker award in last season’s Champions League after amassing 15 goals in 10 games. In a match against Red Star Belgrade, he needed just 14 minutes to score four times.
The 32-year-old was also the Bundesliga’s top scorer last season with 34 goals, equivalent to one goal per game in the 18-team league.
It was the fifth time that he was awarded the award for the highest number of goals in the German top flight since joining Bayern from Borussia Dortmund in 2014.
Lewandowski would have been the big favorite to win this year’s Ballon d’Or had it not been canceled by France Football magazine due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Overall, it was a good night for Bayern, with Neuer winning the 2019/20 Champions League goalkeeper of the season, Joshua Kimmich as the campaign defender and Hansi Flick as the men’s coach of the year.
They will also be favorites to qualify for this season’s Champions League round of 16 after being tied in Group A alongside Atlético de Madrid, Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow.
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