German media fumed at the decision to award Lionel Messi his seventh Ballon d'Or, describing the verdict as a 'scandal' that 'cheated' Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski.
The Polish striker was the runaway favourite to win the prestigious golden ball, awarded by France Football to the best player in the world in a calendar year, in 2020, only for the award to be cancelled amid the pandemic.
Lewandowski, 33, finished second after scoring 38 goals in 30 league games for Bayern in 2021, in addition to winning the Bundesliga, but it was not enough.
Fast forward 12 months and Messi, who won his first major title with Argentina in the Copa America, was recognised with his seventh Ballon d'Or, leaving Lewandowski still without ever winning it.
'This can not be true,' German newspaper Bild wrote on Tuesday. 'It is a scandalous choice.'
German newspaper Bild called the decision to give Lionel Messi the Ballon d'Or as a 'scandal'
Lewandowski finished second but the Bayern Munich striker was seen as a strong frontrunner
Messi was awarded the seventh Ballon d'Or of his career at a ceremony in Paris on Monday
Germany legend Lothar Matthaus, who himself won the Ballon d'Or back in 1990, said that he 'doesn't understand the world anymore' after 'extraordinary' Lewandowski, who came second, was snubbed for the top prize.
'To be honest, after this decision I don't understand the world anymore,' Matthaus told Sky Sports Germany.
'With all due respect to Lionel Messi and all the other great nominated players. Nobody deserves it like Lewandowski. France Football didn't award the prize last year, and if only because of all the titles that Robert has won with Bayern 2020, he is unrivalled not only in the last two years.
'But even if you only take 2021 into account, he was better than the rest. He broke Gerd Müller's record of the century, is again top of the top scorers list in every competition, and has surpassed everyone nationally and internationally this year as well.'
Criticism quickly came to the fore with Lewandowski (left) again snubbed for the biggest title
The 33-year-old scored 47 goals in all competitions as Bayern won the Treble back in 2019-20
Lewandowski was crowned the Best FIFA Men's Player last year following a sensational 2019-20 season in which he scored a combined total of 47 goals for club and country.
The 33-year-old's goals propelled Bayern to a famous treble, as the Bavarian giants won the Champions League, the German Cup and an eighth consecutive Bundesliga title.
Lewandowski then added another Bundesliga title last season - his seventh in a row - plundering 48
