Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick has nominated his Polish striker Robert Lewandowski to win the Golden Ball award given annually to the best soccer player in the world, after crossing the 50-goal threshold so far.
The 31-year-old striker performed remarkably, and contributed by two goals to his team's 4-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup final Saturday. And his score raised 51 goals in various competitions this season, including 34 in the local league, which crowned his top scorer for the fifth time (twice with his former team Borussia Dortmund).
"When you see that he has scored 34 times in the league, this is enough to make you think that a Bundesliga player may be the best in the world this year," Flick said.
The last Golden Ball of the Bundesliga player returns to Matthias Sammer (1996 with Borussia Dortmund).
The French magazine "France Football" grants the Golden Ball award to the best player in the world at the end of this season, while the International Federation (FIFA) in turn gives an annual award in the same category.
According to the statistics published by the Bayern website after beating Leverkusen in Berlin, and achieving this season's double with the League and League title (Bayern won for the eighth time in a row), Lewandowski became the top scorer of the cup competition with six goals.
The Polish also became the first player to score in four final matches of the German Cup, and the first player to score in three consecutive final matches of the competition.
The Polish international equalized his record for the number of goals in one season, which he had already achieved in the 2015-2016 season.
He still has an opportunity to increase his balance, as he prepares with his team to complete the Champions League competition, through going back to the final price against the English Premier League in Chelsea next August.
Bayern won home away to its English host three goals, in a match in which the Polish scored one.