Robert Lewandowski finished second in the 2021 Ballon d'Or, with Lionel Messi eventually winning the award, but Leiva revealed his sadness at not winning the award while following the words of the Paris Saint-Germain striker.
Last season, Lewandowski scored 48 goals and assisted 9 others in 40 matches in all competitions, and won with Bayern the German League, the German League Cup, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
While he scored 16 goals in the German League in 14 matches this season.
"I felt sad," Lewandowski told the Polish newspaper Kanal Sportwim. "I can't deny it."
"I can't say that I was happy, on the contrary. I have a feeling of sadness. I was very close (to win the award), to compete with Messi, of course I respect the way he played and what he achieved. Just that I had the ability to compete with him shows me the level at which I managed to get to it."
Bayern Munich star attacked Messi, after the latter said he urged France Football to award Lewandowski the Ballon d'Or 2020.
"I'm not very excited about the 2020 award," Lewandowski revealed.
He concluded, "I would like (Messi's statement about the Ballon d'Or 2020) to be an honest and polite statement from a great player and not just empty words."