Klopp surprised as Lewandowski misses out on Ballon d’Or

Jurgen Klopp

had questions about what more

Robert Lewandowski

could have done to be the Ballon d’Or winner after he missed out on the prize.

Lionel Messi

received his seventh award on Monday, but many expected the

player to win the glory.

Klopp worked with Lewandowski when the two were at Borussia Dortmund, with the Polish meeting the back of the net 103 times before making a move to Bayern.

Lewandowski has found the target 53 times in 2021 for Bayern, providing six assists, which made his tally the most in the Europe’s top five leagues.

Messi is fifth on the list as he scored 32 goals and contributed 12 assists but he helped his country win the Copa America, which earned votes for him, with his form not impressive since his move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Quizzed if he was surprised that there were six players with higher ranks than

’s

Mohammed Salah

, Klopp said:

"I was surprised to be honest, but it's not in my hands. If you think he should be higher up, then you'll have to convince your colleagues."

He then talked about the Poland international, a player he once referred to as the best player he had managed. Lewandowski came second for the award, which is voted for by journalists from all over the world.

The 33-year-old found the target 41 times in

last season, breaking Gerd Muller’s record for the most in the division.

"

I think that you always can give it to Lionel Messi for the career he has and the footballer he is, all these kinds of things, but if you don't give it to Robert Lewandowski this time then it's quite tricky to get it at all,"

said the Liverpool boss.

"And yes, Mo definitely should have been high up."

He was involved in 45 goals and 12 assist last year, being 10 more than Cristiano Ronaldo (41 goals, 6 assists).

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