Integrity Score 125
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sat by Messi’s side during the show, dressed comparatively soberly, with a face to match. He certainly exuded less showbiz sparkle as the winner was announced, smiling sportingly before looking on with discernible sadness behind his eyes, the corners of his mouth sliding down a little, as Messi bounded up to take all the plaudits despite the undoubted brilliance of the Bayern striker’s performances. If nothing else, Lewandowski now knows how Xavi and Andrés Iniesta must have felt.
Let’s hope Lewandowski – who broke Gerd Muller’s 49-year-old Bundesliga scoring record, for goodness sake – enjoyed the rest of the evening. He probably didn’t, though, given that host Didier Drogba’s patter was beyond teeth-grindingly inane, the low point in an evening-long masterclass in depth-plumbing coming when he asked Spanish-speaking Ballon d’Or Feminin winner Alexia Putellas a question in English, then admitted he didn’t speak Spanish so couldn’t understand her answer. Zero out of 10 for research, though we’re sure Didier will have a much better time of it at next year’s ceremony. He’ll be one of the favourites