The latest Ballon d'Or power ranking listed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the Top 3, but according to Robin van Persie, the runaway winner has to be Robert Lewandowski. The choice is no surprise as the Bayern Munich star is No. 1 on the list, but Van Persie stirred controversy with his further claims.
According to the ex-Manchester United striker, he could not see Messi and Ronaldo finishing on the Top 3. Instead, Van Persie nominated Sadio Mane of Liverpool and Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City as close runners up.
Messi not repeating his December 2019 win is not a remote possibility, according to Metro. The Argentine's side Barcelona could cede the La Liga title to Real Madrid this season despite Messi's impressive 27 goals. The numbers, however, pale in comparison to that of Lewandowski and Ronaldo.
Already, Ronaldo has hit the net 41 times in the ongoing campaign, and he is on track to lead Juventus to another Serie A title win.
Lewandowski, on the other hand, has scored 55 goals in 49 games for the Bavarians and delivered double titles for his side. When the gauge is success in the current campaign, it is clear that Messi is lagging, and Lewandowski is piling up on an insurmountable lead.
If the Pole striker continues with his prolific ways when the Champions League matches resume, pundits are saying it's hard to imagine that Lewandowski will not win his first Ballon honor at the end of the year, and thus proving Van Persie right.
However, the Dutch favoring De Bruyne over Messi and Ronaldo seemed odd, considering that the City star only managed to score goals in the season and with his side conceding the Premier League crown to Liverpool.
Mirror said Van Persie making the Belgium international No. 2 on Ballon is up for debate as it would seem that Mane performed better. Van Persie placed the Senegalese at No. 3 despite the Liverpool striker making 20 goals for his club and figuring prominently with the side's successful capture of the Premier League title.
Mason Greenwood of United would have been the better bet as the youngster displayed superb performance in the season with a total of 19 goals. And the Red Devils have won the last of their 16 games with Greenwood as a key factor on the club's successful run so far, the report added.
In any case, the choice of Lewandowski as the 2020 Ballon d'Or winner is a safe bet on Van Persie's part. The Bayern striker is on a roll, and it is assumed that he will seal the honor by leading his side to at least a Champions League final appearance in August.
