Lewandowski backs his former teammate for the Ballon d'Or and expresses his astonishment at Bayern Munich

Lewandowski wrote history in Germany and Spain

Veteran Poland international Robert Lewandowski, striker for Chicago Fire of the United States, has backed his former Barcelona team-mate Lamine Yamal to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or. He also praised the level of England's Harry Kane and France's Michael Olise, the Bayern Munich duo.

Lewandowski told "The Athletic": "Of course, I support Lamine winning the Ballon d'Or, because he is amazing, especially for his age (19 years)."

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The former Bayern Munich striker added: "Harry Kane came to Bayern at the peak of his level, and what he is doing is amazing, and the number of goals he scores, especially as Bayern lacked this type of striker after my departure. And with his presence, they are doing excellent work."

On the France star, he said: "Olise, for me, is a player who makes you say: wow. He is the player capable of changing the course of a match. And I think this work and cooperation between Kane, Olise and Díaz is like the perfect combination."

He went on: "Olise has a great future ahead of him. I know everyone talks about Lamine, but I sometimes try to look for different players, and to see things that not everyone has noticed yet. For me, perhaps if Olise had scored a goal or two at the World Cup, he too would have been the strongest candidate to win the Ballon d'Or, alongside Lamine or Harry Kane as well."

Speaking about the former Crystal Palace player, he continued: "His decisions are perfect. He knows the timing, and he knows when he should shoot to score a goal, and he knows when to pass the ball, and what kind of pass he should play. I love watching Lamine, but I love watching Olise too, and following the way they both play."

Bayern are amazing

On the level of the Bavarian side, he said: "Looking at the way they played last season, I think the only thing Bayern lacked was the Champions League title. And had they won it, perhaps it would have been seen as similar to what we achieved in 2020, when we won everything, because they put in an amazing performance."

Lewandowski went on: "The German league has changed a little, over the past year or two, compared to the period I was there. If you see Bayern Munich beat Leipzig now by a score of 6-1, then perhaps this match is not ideal for the league. But of course, the way Bayern develop is amazing, and everyone can learn from it, and try to follow in their footsteps."