Joachim Löw: Manuel Neuer deserved to win the Ballon d'Or
Manuel Neuer had been a deserving winner of the Ballon d'Or, according to Germany coach Joachim Löw.
Germany coach Joachim Löw believes Manuel Neuer should have won the Ballon d'Or if the 2020 award hadn't been cancelled due to the coronavirus.
For many people, Robert Lewandowski was the main contender for the world footballer of the year award – including himself, the FC Bayern striker recently admitted in an interview with Polish news outlet Onet.
Löw, however, believes Lewandowski's teammate Neuer would have been a more worthy winner of the Ballon d'Or after the experienced goalkeeper played a key role in Bayern's treble-winning campaign, which culminated with a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Lisbon.
"I have nothing against Robert Lewandowski, he's a top-class goalscorer. But for me, the world footballer of the year is Manuel Neuer," Löw told Kicker and added:
"'Manu' was in amazing form for the whole of the 2019/20 season and is in a class of his own – amazing, unbelievable.
"With the saves he made in the final tournament in Lisbon, he made sure the door behind him was closed. He played a big part in the Champions League victory. It's great when you score 15 goals like Lewandowski, of course. But against Lyon and Paris, Manuel made a difference in a difficult situation. If it wasn't for him, it could have been 0-1 or 1-1."
Neuer, 34, finished third in the Ballon d'Or voting in 2014, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.