Robert Lewandowski (R) of Bayern Munich and manager Hansi Flick. /VCG
Robert Lewandowski (R) of Bayern Munich and manager Hansi Flick. /VCG
Another two awards have been added to Bayern Munich's honor roll this season: their ace striker Robert Lewandowski and manager Hansi Flick were named Germany's Footballer of the Year and Best Manager respectively.
Having scored 55 goals in 47 appearances, Lewandowski became the first player to score the most goals in the Bundesliga, DFB Cup and the UEFA Champions League while winning all three titles.
"Lewandowski was undoubtedly the best striker in the world this past season. Who knows how hard he's worked to become the best he can be? I can only tip my hat to him – he fully deserves this award," Marco Reus, Germany's Footballer of the Year in 2012 and 2019, told Kicker magazine. He was a teammate of Lewandowski at Borussia Dortmund between 2012 and 2014.
Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League title at Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, August 23, 2020. /VCG
Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League title at Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, August 23, 2020. /VCG
Though this year's Ballon d'Or selection was canceled, Lewandowski was confident that he would have won the award if it was not called off.
"If the organizers didn't cancel the Ballon d'Or, I should have been the winner. I won everything this year. Winning the Champions League was my greatest dream and I achieved it. I'm really proud of that. In the final game against PSG, I didn't score but I worked really hard for my team," said the 32-year-old to Polish paper Przeglad Sportowy.
Hansi Flick (C), manager of Bayern Munich, lifts the UEFA Champions League trophy after winning it at Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, August 23, 2020. /VCG
Hansi Flick (C), manager of Bayern Munich, lifts the UEFA Champions League trophy after winning it at Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, August 23, 2020. /VCG
Flick was also a major contributor to Bayern's huge success this season. When he succeeded Niko Kovac last November, the German giants were fourth in the Bundesliga and had just suffered a humiliating 5-1 loss against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Though many saw Flick as no more than an interim boss, he managed to pull the whole team together and helped them show unstoppable dominance in the second half of the season. Under his coaching, Bayern finished 30 straight games unbeaten and achieved 21 wins in a row before pocketing a continental treble of championships.