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.
| Manuel Neuer saving a header from Yussuf Poulsen. | Photo: GEPA Pictures/Roger Petzsche |
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.
