Low: 'Omnipresent' Neuer the best player of 2019, not Lewandowski

Joachim Low would have voted for Manuel Neuer for the 2020 Ballon d’Or over his Bayern Munich teammate Robert Lewandowski.

Bayern Munich’s treble-winning season would not have been possible without a collective team effort, but there’s no denying that the road was marked with several moments of individual brilliance.

Serge Gnabry was one of Bayern’s key players, recording an impressive tally of 23 goals and 14 assists across all competitions.

Thomas Muller is another player who was elemental for their historic success. The midfielder was initially frozen out of the team by Niko Kovac and it was Hansi Flick who re-integrated him into the Bayern line-up. It turned out to be an extremely fruitful decision as Muller went on to register a mouthwatering 26 assists across 50.

A list mentioning the difference-makers for Bayern cannot be complete without Robert Lewandowski’s name on it. The Polish striker only strengthened his claim as one of the world’s best players as he finished as top-scorer in Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and Champions League.

It is widely accepted that Lewandowski would have won the 2020 Ballon d’Or had the award not been canceled by France Football.

Manuel Neuer missed a good part of the season due to injuries, but that did not prevent him from being influential for his side’s success. The 35-year old goalkeeper made a string of crucial saves in the semi-final and final of the Champions League.

And Joachim Low feels Neuer would have had a better claim than Lewandowski for the canceled 2020 Ballon d’Or.

“Manu was in great shape throughout the 2019-20 season,” the Germany head coach told Kicker. “Manu is in a class of his own. Crazy, unbelievable.

“I have nothing against Robert Lewandowski, he is a world-class goalscorer, but for me, the best player in the world this year would be Manuel Neuer. What he did in the Final 8 in Lisbon! He kept the shop shut!

“Manuel was on hand in difficult situations against Lyon and Paris, otherwise it might be 0-1 or 1-1. You had the feeling that he was omnipresent.”