The US-based Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) recently published a list of the 20 best football players of the 21st century, in which the captain of Poland’s national team was ranked 18th.

ESPN is a multinational sports media conglomerate that has become synonymous with sports broadcasting and entertainment. It regularly publishes rankings listing the best athletes and their achievements. Once a year, ESPN publishes its top 100 ranking of the best athletes in the world, known as the „ESPN World Fame 100.” This ranking identifies the most famous athletes globally based on a combination of factors such as search engine popularity, endorsement deals, and social media following.

In a similar undertaking, the American media giant listed its top 25 best footballers of the 21st century. Unsurprisingly, the list is topped by the living legends of the game: Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Poland’s record striker Robert Lewandowski was positioned in the 18th spot.

“Lewandowski is one of the most consistent and technically brilliant forwards of the 21st century […] Early in the 2015-16 season, Guardiola’s Bayern Munich trailed Wolfsburg 1-0 at halftime; Lewandowski entered the match for the second half and proceeded to score in the 51st (with his left foot), 52nd (with his right foot from distance), 55th (off a rebound), 57th (on a counterattack), and 60th minutes,” ESPN wrote in the paragraph justifying the choice.

Since his rise to the top with Dortmund in the early 2010s, Robert Lewandowski has consistently remained among the very best number nines in the world. His numerous successful years at Bayern Munich put him on top of the football planet by 2020 when – if not for the questionable decision to cancel the ceremony – he would have been awarded the ultimate individual prize in his sport: the Ballon d’Or.

The ranking published by ESPN is, of course, strongly subjective, and numerous arguments can be made about who is supposed to be in the top 20 or not. Nevertheless, it seems that FC Barcelona’s star deserves his place in that elite group. Statistics speak for themselves.

At nearly 36 years of age, “Lewy” is the third-best scorer in the history of the Champions League with 94 goals, the second-best scorer in the history of the German league with 312, the best-ever scorer for Poland (82), and among the 8 players with the most career goals (629). Last season, the Varsovian finished the season in La Liga with a remarkable 19 goals and 8 assists, proving outstanding consistency for a decade and a half.

Image: X (@goal)

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen