The 2021 Ballon d’Or winner will be confirmed on Monday evening with Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi aiming for his seventh title with Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema among his rivals
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The Ballon d’Or winner will be crowned on Monday night for the first time in two years following the cancellation of last year’s awards due to the pandemic.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi is favourite to win the award but Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski and Real Madrid ’s Karim Benzema are also strongly in the running for the gong.
Messi is hopeful of winning his record-breaking seventh personal title – which would move him two ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who returned to Manchester United this year.
Ronaldo is one of 14 Premier League stars were named on the 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist for the best men’s player in the world, which was leaked in October.
European champions Chelsea ’s Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Romelu Lukaku and Mason Mount were all on the list, while Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling also included.
United duo Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, Tottenham captain Harry Kane and Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah were also included.
Which of these 30 players stand a realistic chance of securing a podium finish? Here are our five best footballers of 2021.
5) Cristiano Ronaldo
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Image:
Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
Ronaldo is now aged 36 and that he is still operating at the level he is a remarkable achievement in itself.
The Portuguese superstar is unlikely to add to his five Ballon d’Or crowns for the remainder of his career due to his age but he has still had a sterling year.
Despite missing out on the Serie A title last season with Juventus he did hit 29 league goals – the highest in the division, while winning the Coppa Italia.
He is already into double figures at United, including six goals in five Champions League appearances – showing that he is always the most reliable performer on the big occasion.
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Ronaldo also won the Golden Boot at Euro 2020, despite Portugal being eliminated at the Round of 16 stage, with five goals in four appearances.
In what has been inevitable in recent years, the superstar also surpassed Iranian striker Ali Daei’s long-standing international goal record earlier this year.
We are unlikely to see anyone quite like Ronaldo again.
4) Jorginho
No other player was a starter in the successful teams to win the Champions League and Euro 2020 titles this year.
That makes Jorginho an automatic contender for the award, having been named UEFA Men’s Player of the Year 2020-21 and been included in the Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament.
The one player who played a key role in both the Champions League and Euro 2020 successful teams this season makes Jorginho an automatic contender for the award.
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel has said: “Jorginho deserves to win the Ballon d’Or. He’s a very intelligent player and it’s a pleasure to be his coach.”
Italy coach Roberto Mancini added: “He won everything last season. I would find it really strange if he does not win the trophy.”
Only four midfielders – Luis Figo in 2000, Pavel Nedved in 2003, Kaka in 2007 and Luka Modric in 2018 – have won the Ballon d’Or since the turn of the century.
Non-goalscoring midfielder Luka Modric won the award in 2018 but Jorginho’s lack of stardom in the final third may count against him.
His stock has dipped in recent times too; missing key penalties in Italy’s World Cup qualification campaign – meaning the Azzurri must go through the playoffs – while also making uncharacteristic errors at club level.
3) Karim Benzema
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Image:
SIPA USA via PA Images)
Karim Benzema has had another rollercoaster year which has included a return to the France national team after a six-year absence.
Now aged 33, he is getting better with age – netting nine goals in 13 international caps while scoring 16 times in 18 matches for Real Madrid.
The Frenchman currently leads Europe’s major leagues for both goals and assists in 2021-22 with a remarkable 47 goals and 18 assists for Real Madrid since the start of last season.
Benzema said in an interview last month: “Since I was little, I have had the dream of winning the Ballon d’Or, which is the dream that all footballers have.”
An outstanding footballer who has been Real Madrid’s main man since Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit is expecting a podium finish, at least.
2) Robert Lewandowski
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Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
The Poland international would unquestionably have scooped last year’s Ballon d’Or title, had the awards not been prematurely cancelled.
He broke Gerd Muller’s long-standing Bundesliga goalscoring record last year with a scarcely believable 41 goals in just 28 league starts.
Lewandowski netted 55 goals in 2019-20, 48 goals last term and is already on 25 this time round, in just 20 appearances.
Quite simply, there is no player who has been so consistent and devastating in the final third this year, although no major European or international titles this year will work against him.
1) Lionel Messi
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Image:
Getty Images)
The favourite for this year’s award, Messi is aiming for a record-breaking seventh individual award.
The superstar scored 38 goals in 47 games last season in what proved to be his final season at Barcelona before winning the Copa America (where he was top scorer and top assister) with Argentina – his first international title.
His stunning summer move to Paris Saint-Germain grabbed headlines across the world but he has yet to truly get going in the French capital – with just one Ligue 1 goal so far.
He has netted three times in the Champions League for PSG, but the imbalance in the squad means that things are yet to click.
It is tricky to argue that this has been Messi’s best performance year – or indeed, anywhere close – which is far from surprising as he is now aged 34.
However, his international success and the prestige of his name – as is true with Ronaldo – helps ensure he is boosted in a way that his major rivals Lewandowski and Benzema are not.
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