The two football greats share a long history, marked by few direct clashes and numerous bold statements about each other.
On the occasion of the World Cup, teams from Argentina and Poland faced off with hopes of keeping their campaigns alive. In that high-stakes setting both players, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski, stood at the center of attention as they built a shared chapter in modern football.
After Argentina claimed a 2-0 victory, the rivalry between the two strikers resurfaced across four head-to-head encounters. The first two meetings came in the 2015 Champions League semi-finals, where Barcelona eventually lifted the trophy. In the first leg, Messi produced two stunning goals and a memorable dribble past Boateng. The second leg ended in a 3-2 win for Lewandowski’s side, with the Polish striker finding the back of the net. The next notable clash brought a difficult night for Messi, as Barcelona suffered an emphatic 8-2 defeat in which Lewandowski contributed a goal.
WHERE DID THE CONTROVERSY BEGIN?
The spark appeared when France Football decided to cancel the 2020 Ballon d’Or ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Lewandowski as the clear favorite after a dream season.
In 2021 Messi moved to Paris and earned his seventh Ballon d’Or in that cycle. He acknowledged Lewandowski’s excellence in a public message, saying it was an honor to compete with him and that Lewandowski deserved the award the previous year as well as this one.
Shortly thereafter Lewandowski won the Ballon d’Or again, tying with Cristiano Ronaldo for the most wins. When the votes were announced, Messi’s ballot became a talking point because he did not place Lewandowski at number one, instead ranking Neymar, Mbappé, and Benzema higher. The ensuing media questions spurred a moment of reflection from the Pole, who asked why Messi had not voted for him and suggested that the Ballon d’Or decision reflected differing views about deserving players.
Although the comments stayed cordial, the atmosphere carried a tense calm. The debate among fans intensified on social media, especially after a draw in the Qatar 2022 World Cup group stage where Argentina and Poland found themselves alongside Mexico and Saudi Arabia in Group C.
Around that time Messi offered a measured response in an interview, downplaying any personal tension with Lewandowski. He stressed that his remarks came from the heart and that Lewandowski deserved recognition for his performance, while noting that the year he won the award was not the strongest for him personally.
In the following months Lewandowski joined Barcelona on a contract through 2026, a move that added another layer to the ongoing dynamic between the two players. The transfer underscored the broader competitive narrative surrounding both stars as they pursued success with different clubs.
As the World Cup approached in November, a moment at a press conference drew attention when an Argentinian journalist asked Messi about a potential handshake with Lewandowski after the group-stage clash. Messi responded that there was no issue between them and that everything was fine, a comment that left observers noting a quiet respect beneath a surface of rivalry.
Looking back, Angel Di María later described the pre-Poland period as something special for Messi, suggesting that the intensity of the moment left a lasting impression. He recalled that teammates and fans alike could sense the weight of the rivalry and the respect that existed beneath it all, even as talk on social media continued to spark debate about who deserved recognition as the era’s greatest player.
Source: Goal