'Between me and Messi everything is fine' - Lewandowski holds no grudge for Ballon d'Or ahead of Wor

Robert Lewandowski holds no grudges against Poland's World Cup opponent Lionel Messi after the duo's battle to clinch the 2021 Ballon d'Or.

Messi faced fierce competition from Lewandowski to win his seventh Ballon d'Or last year, despite the Polish forward scoring 58 goals to Messi's 34 at club level in 2021.

The day after that triumph, Messi called for Lewandowski to be awarded the 2020 Ballon d'Or, as the award was not awarded after the COVID-19 pandemic hit football that year.< /p>

As Poland face Argentina in their third World Cup group stage match later this month, Lewandowski says he doesn't blame Messi for winning the award .

When asked if he was shaking hands with Messi to clear the air before the squads meeting, Lewandowski replied: "I don't quite understand the question.

"Why not? Why would I need to shake hands? Between me and Messi everything is fine. I have nothing [bad] with him, I never had.

"Leo Messi is in top form. In Barcelona, ​​you can see everywhere that he is a legend."

Poland begin their Group C campaign against Mexico on Tuesday, with Lewandowski looking to score his first World Cup goal after failing to find the net at the 2018 tournament in Russia.

The Barcelona striker has contributed to 13 goals in Poland's World Cup qualifying campaign (nine goals, four assists), more than double than any of his international team-mates.

Czeslaw Michniewicz's side are hoping to put aside their poor record in the World Cup openers against Mexico, having started only one of their previous eight campaigns in the tournament with a victory (D3 L4), beating Argentina 3-2 in 1974.< /p>