Messi, Lewandowski, Benzema … The complete classification of the 2021 Ballon d’Or

The 2021 Ballon d’Or ranking

• 24th: Pedri (FC Barcelona / Spain)
• 25th: Phil Foden (Manchester City / England)
• 26th: Gerard Moreno (Villarreal / Spain)

He was co-top scorer in the Europa League, helping Villarreal to grab the European trophy under Manchester United’s nose and beard. Used to scoring, Gerard Moreno changed dimension last year. Excellent in the air and present at the Euro with Luis Enrique’s Roja, he continues to scout goals but still lacks real European references to aim higher.

• 26th: Ruben Días (Manchester City / Portugal)

He was, almost unquestionably, the best player in the Premier League. If a man has changed the face of Manchester City from Pep Guardiola, it is him. Impassive in the heart of the defense of the champion of England, Ruben Dias also shone when it counted, especially during the double confrontation against PSG in the semi-final of the Champions League. A rock and an indisputable leader wherever he goes.

• 26th: Nicolò Barrella (Inter Milan / Italy)

It is one of the revelations of the year. Italian champion with Inter, the young Barrella has become essential in a few months on the side of the Boot. A driving force for the Nerrazzurri, he also signed a very good Euro, notably scoring against Belgium in the quarter-finals.

• 29th: Luka Modric (Real Madrid / Croatia)

His status as a former winner no doubt allowed him to be in the list of the 30 nominated but he did not deserve much more. Despite an interesting start to the season under the orders of Carlo Ancelotti, Luka Modric has fallen into line since his coronation in 2018. But he remains a player apart, the barometer of the teams in which he plays.

• 29th: Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea / Spain)

He was the courageous captain of Chelsea, a fantastic European champion. He was a major cog in the excellent course of La Roja during the Euro. Consistent and leader at heart, César Azpilicueta inherits 29th place tied on points with Luka Modric.

The 30 named players

It was on October 8 that France Football unveiled the list of 30 nominated for the 2021 Ballon d’Or. In it are three French players: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea) and Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain). To this tricolor contingent, we must also add three who play in Ligue 1 and not just any, Lionel Messi, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain). For the rest, we find a winner of the Champions League and the Euro, Jorginho (Chelsea) and another well-known name of the ceremony, the five-time winner, Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United).

The list of players nominated for the 2021 Ballon d’Or : Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, N’Golo Kanté, Mason Mount, Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea), Nicolo Barella, Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Karim Benzema, Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus Turin), Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City), Gianluigi Donnarumma, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Erling Haaland ( Borussia Dortmund), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Simon Kjaer (AC Milan), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Gerard Moreno (Villarreal), Pedri (FC Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Luis Suarez (Atlético de Madrid).

Messi – Lewandowski, duo of favorites

If in France, we would very much like Karim Benzema to win the timpani although his record is limited to a League of Nations in 2021, a duo of favorites largely stand out from the herd: Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski. The first has for him his aura which has already allowed him to glean rewards when he did not necessarily deserve them but also and above all a success in Copa America, his first trophy with Argentina, against Brazil at the Maracana. If he were to win, the Argentinian would raise his record to seven Ballons d’Or and become after Jean-Pierre Papin (1991), the second to receive the trophy while playing in the French elite.

Ultimate favorite in 2020, Robert Lewandowski had not been crowned since France Football had decided not to award his Ballon d’Or following the Covid pandemic and its consequences. Spoiled, will the Pole relive a disillusionment in 2021? His CV reports 61 goals this year and a double in the Bundesliga, German championship. He is the favorite of some but others fear Messi will cap him at the post.

To wait before the ceremony

On Monday evening, the 2021 Ballon d’Or will most likely be awarded to Robert Lewandowski or Lionel Messi, the two favorites of the ballot. Despite his fall breakthrough, Karim Benzema has little chance of ending the French famine. Drought that has lasted since 1998 and the success of Zinédine Zidane. In the 21st century, the reward has completely escaped the Hexagon. That’s why.