Robert Lewandowski hasn’t forgotten the 2020 Ballon d’Or ceremony that wasn’t, joking that Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema will win this year’s award unless it is cancelled again.
The Poland forward was the frontrunner to win the prestigious individual prize for the world’s best player in 2020 but the ceremony was cancelled for the first time since its inception in 1956 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Lewandowski was instead given a “Striker of the Year” award at the 2021 ceremony, where Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi won his seventh Ballon d’Or. “(Benzema) is probably one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or,” Lewandowski told Movistar yesterday. “If they don’t cancel it then he’s probably going to win this Ballon d’Or.”
Benzema is expected to win the prize, given out by France Football magazine, at the ceremony on Monday in Paris, after helping his team win the Champions League and La Liga last season. Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga and Champions League double in the 2019-20 season, with Lewandowski netting 15 goals in Europe on the way to victory over PSG in the final.

Ball from Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ match expected to fetch at $2.8mn at auction
The football that was at the feet – and hand – of Diego Maradona as he shocked the world with acts of both brazen gamesmanship and breathtaking skill in Mexico 36 years ago has been put up for auction and is expected to sell for at least 2.5mn pounds ($2.8mn). The ball in question is from the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England, in which Maradona scored six minutes into the second half by sneakily punching the ball over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton into the net, a goal he said afterwards had been helped by the “Hand of God”.
Just four minutes later he dribbled from his own half past a number of England players to score a sublime second that regularly tops polls as the greatest goal in World Cup history. The ball is being sold by Tunisian referee Ali bin Nasser, who officiated the match. The auction will be conducted by auctioneers Graham Budd and will take place on Nov 16, with bidders able to register and bid online from Oct. 28. The shirt worn by Maradona in the same match was sold for 7.14mn pounds earlier this year. Maradona, regarded as one of the world’s best ever footballers, died in November, 2020 aged 60.  

Juve’s Di Maria out for three weeks with hamstring injury
Angel Di Maria will be out for around three weeks after picking up a hamstring injury during Juventus’ humiliating defeat at Maccabi Haifa, the struggling club said. In a statement, Juve said Di Maria underwent tests yesterday “which revealed a low-grade lesion to the hamstring of the right thigh”. “It will take around 20 days for the player’s complete recovery,” Juve added. Argentina winger Di Maria was substituted 23 minutes into Juve’s shock 2-0 defeat in Israel which left them on the brink of elimination from the Champions League. Juve are third in Group H and five points behind second-placed Benfica with two matches remaining following a loss which led to both coach Massimiliano Allegri and president Andrea Agnelli to say they were ashamed of the team.
It is the latest absence for the 34-year-old, who was set to return to Serie A action following a two-match suspension and had already been injured twice since arriving as a free agent in the summer. He will miss both Juve’s final group fixtures at Benfica and with leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Juve, who are also 10 points behind Serie A leaders Napoli, travel to local rivals Torino tomorrow.