ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI WINS THE EUROPEAN GOLDEN SHOE 2021 AWARD
Robert Lewandowski has been honoured with the European Golden Shoe as the continent’s top goalscorer in the 2020/21 season. The FC Bayern striker scored a phenomenal 41 Bundesliga goals that campaign, making him only the second Germany-based player after Gerd Müller (1970 and 1972) to receive the special award. “I’m delighted by this great honour,” Lewandowski said. “I’d like to thank my family, my teammates, the coaching staff and the whole of FC Bayern. I couldn’t win titles like these without their support. In sport – like in life – it’s crucial that you value each other, support each other, are always fair with each other and try to be a role model for others. That’s why I dedicate this award to all the people who are by my side every day. I’m very happy with what we’ve achieved together as a team. Thank you very much.”
Herbert Hainer, FC Bayern president: “This is a great accolade for Robert Lewandowski. Not just for his many, many goals but for the exemplary professionalism with which he gives everything for success every day. He’s deserved to become the second FC Bayern player after the unforgettable Gerd Müller to be honoured with the Golden Shoe.”
Oliver Kahn, FC Bayern CEO: “Robert Lewandowski is the reigning world player of the year for a reason. His goals say it all and their continuity is an expression of how hard he works every day. He’s made history at FC Bayern, both with his team and personally. Lewandowski is another good example of how top international players find a sporting home at FC Bayern, spend the best years of their career here, and win many titles.”
Hasan Salihamidzic, FC Bayern board member for sport: “Every accolade documents what an exceptional player Robert Lewandowski is in world football. In the more than four years that I’ve been in charge of the sporting side at FC Bayern, I’ve come to know him as a person who constantly wants to improve and who brings in his ideas in an open and demanding way. Robert always sets the highest standards, both for himself but also for everyone else. That helps us, and that’s why I’m very happy that Robert is now receiving the Golden Shoe he’s earned. At the same time, I’m proud of FC Bayern because Robert is part of a team in Munich that can give him what he needs for his records, which is quality, mentality, cohesion and an enjoyment of the game.”
Handed out annually since 1968 – but with a hiatus in the 1990s – the European Golden Shoe is awarded by European Sports Media every year for the top goalscorer that season. As well as Müller, it has been won by many big names including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Francesco Totti, Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, Marco van Basten, Hristo Stoichkov and Eusebio. Former Bayern players Roy Makaay and Luca Toni are also among the prominent winners, but they were playing for Deportivo La Coruna and Fiorentina respectively at the time.