Paris: The Ballon d’Or is arguably one of the most coveted individual awards in football and the yearly contenders are chosen way before they actually receive the award. The award is presented on the basis of votes.
The personal accolades and trophies of the said year are also taken into account while voting for the most deserved winner of this golden award. So far, Lionel Messi (six) holds the record of the most number of Ballon d’Or followed by Cristiano Ronaldo (five).
Sportslight Media takes a look at the favourites to win the 2021 Ballon d’Or:
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is a name that is not new in the list of the Ballon d’Or favourites. Besides securing the Euro 2020 golden boot with five goals and one assist, Ronaldo also won Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana. However, missing out on the Serie A and Portugal’s early exit from Euro 2020 have moved him down on the list considerably.
Kevin de Bruyne
The Belgian has scored recorded 10 goals and 10 assists so far in 2021. De Bruyne has also won the Premier League and the Carabao Cup with Manchester City and reached the finals of the Champions League where they were eventually defeated by Chelsea. With Belgium making it only as far as the Euro 2020 quarters, De Bruyne makes the list but is unlikely to get his hand at the award.
N’golo Kante
Kante won the Champions League with Chelsea and produced Man of the Match performances in the latter stages of the competition. The Frenchman became an integral force in Chelsea getting better against giants like Manchester City in the final and Real Madrid in the semis.
Jorginho
Jorgingo, who plays as the Regista played a crucial part for both Chelsea and Italy during their campaign to glory. He won the Champions League and the Euro 2020 scoring a total of five goals and recording two assists in 2021. All these make him a strong contender to win the award this year, much like Luka Modric did in 2018.
Robert Lewandowski
Undoubtedly the one who boasts the best individual season in all of Europe. The Polish striker has scored a staggering 34 goals and recorded four assists, along with winning the Bundesliga and the Club World Cup with Bayern Munich. He is a strong contender for Ballon d’Or despite Poland’s poor finish at Euros 2020.
Lionel Messi
It looks like Messi is about to widen the gap between him and Ronaldo as he looks fit to win the award. Messi finally secured his first senior international trophy with Argentina and in the best way possible. He was also the highest scorer and the best player in the tournament. His supreme form at Barcelona helped him win his eighth Pichichi award. Messi has scored 33 goals and 14 assists in 2021 and even won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona.
