Robert Lewandowski wins Germany's Footballer of the Year award
By Max Cooper
Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski has won Germany's Footballer of the Year award for 2021, receiving an incredible 356 of the 563 votes cast in Kicker magazine.
The 32-year-old won the award last year, scoring in all but two league matches in the second half of the 2019/20 campaign.
And he has defended his crown in 2021, winning the trophy after yet another record-breaking season with Bayern. Kicker announced that Lewandowski had been recognised for his achievements by winning 63% of the 563 votes, with Thomas Muller (41) the closest rival.
The Polish striker spoke of the 'honour' and 'great pride and joy' he felt in defending the trophy, after firing the German giants to another Bundesliga title.
"I know what a great honour this is," Lewandowski said.
"It's a source of great pride and joy for me, because it's rare for someone to win the title of Footballer of the Year in Germany twice in a row."
Lewandowski reached new heights with Bayern last season, scoring an unbelievable 41 goals in 29 league matches to break the long-standing record set by Gerd Muller in 1971/72. He reached the remarkable figure on the final day of the season, scoring in a 5-2 win over Augsburg to write his name into the history books of German football.
The former Borussia Dortmund hitman failed to score just once in the Bundesliga in 2021, bagging 24 goals in only 17 matches. He was able to clinch the record despite also missing four league matches through injury - which also coincided with Bayern's exit from the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
He hit five hat-tricks over the course of the season, and was once again the driving force behind a convincing title charge. Lewandowski also starred at Euro 2020, scoring three goals for his nation.