Ilkay Gundogan jokes with Robert Lewandowski over failed Blackburn move - ‘You would have won the Ballon d'Or by now’

Ilkay Gundogan has quipped to Barcelona team-mate Robert Lewandowski that he "would have won the Ballon d’Or by now" had a move to Blackburn Rovers materialised.

The Poland captain was due to have talks with then-Rovers boss Sam Allardyce in 2010 when he was 22 years old and playing for Lech Poznan.

However, Allardyce since claimed that the move broke down when Lewandowski’s flight was cancelled due to a volcanic ash cloud.

Blackburn’s loss would be Borussia Dortmund’s gain, as Lewandowski began a free-scoring career trajectory at the German side that has since taken him to Bayern Munich and now Barcelona.

The pair spoke about that situation in a Q&A for the UEFA Champions League UCL show.

Lewandowski asked his team-mate: "Which team was I meant to move to before I came to Germany?"

To which Gundogan replied: "I read it somewhere once, was it to Italy?"

Lewandowski then said: "No, it wasn't Italy. I wanted to see Blackburn Rovers at the time."

This prompted the former Manchester City captain to quip: "Perhaps if you'd moved to Blackburn, you'd have won the Ballon d'Or by now!"

The 35-year-old has enjoyed a trophy-laden career that includes 10 Bundesliga titles, one La Liga title, the Champions League, and is also Poland’s all-time record goalscorer.

He has also won the Best FIFA Men's Player award twice, and been named UEFA's Best Player in Europe, but the Ballon d'Or has eluded him so far.

Lewandowski would have been among the favourites to win the 2020 Ballon d'Or, but it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

He played a key role in Bayern winning four trophies that year, after following up a Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League treble with a UEFA Super Cup triumph.

Those exploits prompted 2021 winner Lionel Messi to pay tribute to Lewandowski in his acceptance speech.

Messi said: "You deserve your Ballon d'Or. Last year, everyone was in agreement to say that you were the big winner."

The marksman has scored six goals and registered four assists across his first 10 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona so far this season.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media