The former England defender, now 46, played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United between 2003 and 2009 before the Portuguese superstar departed for Real Madrid. ..Continue Reading
Ronaldo, who is now 40, claimed his first Ballon d’Or in 2008 during his final season with the Red Devils.
While Ronaldo might have secured even more of the prestigious awards, Lionel Messi’s dominance—winning eight Ballon d’Or titles between 2009 and 2023—meant other great players missed out.
Among those unfortunate talents was Robert Lewandowski, who represented Bayern Munich during that era.
Ferdinand noted that the Polish striker was unfairly denied a Ballon d’Or in 2020 due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Covid took away this man’s [Lewandowski’s] Ballon d’Or,” Ferdinand said on ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ in 2024.
“To think you didn’t win a Ballon d’Or in that time. I can only think of Thierry Henry, he’s the only other player I look at and go ‘he should’ve won a Ballon d’Or’.”
During the 2020/21 Bundesliga season, Lewandowski, 36, scored 41 goals in 29 matches – breaking Gerd Muller’s 40-goal record, set in 1971/72.
But, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the award was cancelled in 2020, with many saying Lewandowski would’ve picked up the prize.
“I think that’s the only year it was cancelled, for some reason,” Lewandowski told FourFourTwo in 2025. “I don’t know why. Maybe some years later, I’ll understand what the reason was. For now, I don’t have the answer.”
Ferdinand has already claimed that former Arsenal player Thierry Henry should’ve won the award during his illustrious playing career.
Many point to the 2003 award, won by Pavel Nedved, and claim that the Frenchman should’ve been given the award, having registered 32 goals and 24 assists, which helped Arsenal win the FA Cup during the 2002/03 campaign.
The former France international has already made his feelings clear on missing out on the 2003 award.
“Look, you can’t debate opinions,” Henry said when speaking on CBS in 2023. “When journalists are involved and have a vote, they vote for whoever they want.
“However you want to look at it, they vote for whoever they want. When you look at the vote in the history of [the Ballon d’Or], not only my year, you [often] look at the top three and think ‘Really?’
“You must have looked at some sometimes and thought, ‘Really?’ So it is what it is. You can’t debate opinions.”
