Lewandowski rises above Messi-Ronaldo duopoly

The 2019-20 season will go down in the history books for sure - a break of months for Covid-19, single-legged European tournaments and the cancellation of Ballon d'Or.

Yes, the most prestigious individual award in Europe has been discarded this season. Many leagues, including the French Ligue 1, were cancelled because of the pandemic and thus France Football abandoned the award for this season claiming that all the players did not get a level playing ground to fight for the trophy. 

But despite that, FIFA's 'The Best' award will be provided and as the season has come to a close, the debate has begun. 

Robert Lewandowski had a phenomenal season, to say the least, and won the treble with Bayern Munich. Lionel Messi did not win anything but was marvellous as usual and so was Cristiano Ronaldo. Kevin De Bruyne equalled Thiery Henry's record of most assists in a Premier League season and you cannot forget Sadio Mane, who spearheaded a Liverpool attack which brought them their first league title in 30 years. In that case, Karim Benzema must be considered too as he led the attack for Real Madrid, who won the league after two seasons. 

So, who was the best player of the 2019-20 season? Who was above everyone else? 

Robert Lewandowski 

The Polish striker had a season which the world had previously only seen Messi and Ronaldo conjure up. Lewandowski scored goals, assisted and the most important, led his side Bayern to their second treble in history. 

On that journey, he scored 55 goals and provided 10 assists in 37 games, which equals to 1.38 goal contributions per match. He scored 15 goals in 10 Uefa Champions League (UCL) games and surely ended the season as the MVP. 

Lionel Messi 

The mercurial Argentine has set the bar so high that it's sometimes tough for even him to touch it. Messi scored 31 goals and provided 26 assists but still was considered a flop as Barcelona failed to win anything in the season. 

But still, his 57 goal contribution is only topped by Lewandowski among Europe's best and he will still be a contender no matter what. 

Cristiano Ronaldo 

Ronaldo also got sidelined from the limelight this season as he even missed out on the 'Serie A Player of the Season' award but that does no justice to his performances this season. 

The Portuguese notched up 37 goals and seven assists this season and considering his age, that is no mean feat at 35. 

Kevin De Bruyne 

Despite Manchester City's failure to win any of the big titles, De Bruyne took all the spotlight as he was adjudged the 'Premier League Player of the Season'. 

The Belgian scored 16 goals and 23 assists playing 44 games, and was by far the best player in Manchester and in England.

Sadio Mane 

The Senegalese has impressed in Liverpool colours since joining in 2016 but this was by far his best campaign as his heroics on the pitch helped Liverpool finally win the Premier League title. Mane scored 22 goals and provided 12 assists across all formats, topped by only Mohamed Salah for Liverpool. But between the two, Mane had a bigger impact for the All Reds. 

Karim Benzema 

The Frenchman has finally started to prove his worth in the past two seasons after being overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo for many years. He was the driving force of the Real Madrid attack and led them to their third league title in ten years. He scored 27 goals and 11 assists in all competitions and also played a vital role in Real Madrid's build-up play. 

The verdict

Well, it is a no-brainer. It has to be Robert Lewandowski as the Bayern Munich striker was head and shoulders above everybody on personal stats. If that was not enough, he won all the trophies available for his club and that definitely makes him the best player of the 2019-20 campaign.