Top 3 contenders for the 2021 Ballon D’or

The Ballon d’Or returns this year, and a number of award-winning players are still in the running for the individual men’s award.

The decision to not award the Ballon d’Or 2020 was controversial due to the outbreak of coronavirus, which caused a halt in campaigns and prevented matches from being played behind closed doors.

Robert Lewandowski, a heavy favourite, was not able to win the men’s Ballon d’Or. This year, the Bayern Munich striker faces stiff competition.

This is the last chance to recognize two players who may soon fade after last year’s cancellation.

Lionel Messi made a dramatic, free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. While there have been glimpses of his brilliance, he has not reached the heights that we expected from his career at Barcelona.

Although it may be the case that the Argentine is settling in at his new club and not feeling the pressure of being a six-time winner, there is a growing possibility that his abilities could decline at age 34. His peers might feel compelled by Messi’s seventh-place finish in spite of all the drama surrounding Barcelona’s collapse and Covid-19.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United’s star player, might be hoping for a similar nod. He was 36 when he was Juventus’ top player. However, the Italians failed to win on both major stages last year.

This led to Ronaldo moving to Manchester from Turin. He is two years older than Messi and it seems unlikely that he will be able to win the six awards that Messi won, which he was second by one.

Other contenders include Karim Benzema. Mohammed Salah, Romelu Lukaku and Ngolo Kante are also in the mix.

However, Jorginho is the frontrunner to win the trophy after his performances at the heart of both Chelsea’s Champions League win as well as Italy’s Euro 2020 victory.

Lets go on our list for the 3 top three contenders for the Ballon D’or award

3. Jorginho

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The 28 year-old was crucial to Chelsea’s success last year, helping them win the Champions League.

He was the only player to have won the Champions League and Euros in the same year. This is why he occupies the third position on the list.

2. Robert Lewandowski

There are 180 journalists who voted for him on the Ballon d’Or. This means that there is a strong contingent of people who think Lewandowski’s 2020 should receive the 2021 award. However, he still has the numbers to support his bid.

He continued his prolific pace with 48 goals in 40 matches last season. Bayern won the European Golden Shoe for Bayern’s win in the Bundesliga. In 2021-22, he continues in a similar vein. He scored seven times in the first five league games and twice at the Nou Camp, when Bayern beat Barcelona 3-0.

1. Lionel Messi

Barcelona was fully aware of Lionel Messi’s qualities when he was with them, but perhaps their dependence on the forward is more evident since he left for Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

Barca’s 38 goals and 14 assists in 52 matches saw Messi finish third in La Liga, winning the Copa del Rey. But the reason that a seventh Ballon d’Or is possible this year is because of his international accomplishment – finally.

Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 to win the Copa America. This was Messi’s first international trophy after being runner-up in South American competitions three times and the 2014 World Cup.

After being considered the favorite, Messi could win his seventh trophy.

Messi won Copa del Rey together with Barcelona and Copa America with Argentina. He scored 38 goals in all competitions, while providing 14 assists. This means that he was directly involved with 52 goals scored last season by Barca.

He was a dominant figure within the league and no one could match his 30 goals in LaLiga.

In addition to Neymar Jr.’s four goals, the Argentine provided five assists, and was named Best Player of the Tournament.

With all his achievement last season he could win the 7th ballon D’or.