Polish goal machine Robert Lewandowski produced a sumptuous overhead kick to send Bayern Munich on their way to a Champions League victory over Dynamo Kiev, but fans noticed a peculiar aspect to the strike.
Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 14th minute on a snowy night in Ukraine, adjusting brilliantly to send a bicycle kick beyond Dynamo goalkeeper Heorhiy Bushchan after a deflection had sent the ball looping into the air.
Kingsley Coman added a second for the German champions just before half-time and although Denys Harmash pulled one back for the hosts on 70 minutes, Bayern left with all three points to make it five wins from five in Group E, having already secured their spot in the knockout stages heading into Tuesday’s meeting in the Ukrainian capital.
For Lewandowski, 33, the strike was his ninth in five Champions League appearances this campaign as he tops the scoring chart in this season’s tournament.
Fans were quick to note that the announcement for the Ballon d’Or is coming up on Monday, with many feeling the prolific Pole should be a shoo-in for the award considering the remarkable scoring stats he continues to rack up.
"Give Lewandowski the Ballon d'or man," read one popular tweet after the Pole's acrobatics against Dynamo.
Lewandowski was hard done by last season when the prestigious prize was canceled due to Covid, and legions of football fans feel this time he should finally be rewarded for his years of incredible numbers.
Fans also picked up on images which showed that Lewandowski had pulled off his acrobatic finish in Kiev with one of his boot laces undone, adding to the magic of it.
The finish was a landmark one as it meant Lewandowski has scored in each of his last nine Champions League appearances – making him the first player ever to achieve that feat on two occasions.
Overall, the Bayern forward has 82 goals in 101 appearances in the competition.
Lewandowski's main challenger for this year's Ballon d'Or is widely seen as six-time winner Lionel Messi.
Elsewhere, the likes of Chelsea duo Jorginho and N'Golo Kante are tipped to be in outside contention, as is Karim Benzema of Real Madrid and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.
The award, which is presented by France Football magazine, will be handed out at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris on Monday, November 29.