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Cristiano Ronaldo is 36-years-old but continues to be one of the best in the business to this day. It's been an eventful year for one of the greatest goalscorers of all time. As we're all aware, Ronaldo has always been an ambitious player. His hunger to win, break records and earn trophies have fuelled him to become one of the greatest of all time.
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a mixed bag of a year
On those fronts, it's been a mixed year for Cristiano Ronaldo. At an individual level, he has thrived. In the 2020-21 season, Ronaldo picked up the Serie A Golden Boot by scoring 29 goals in 33 appearances for Juventus.
He followed that up by winning the Golden Boot at Euro 2020 despite Portugal crashing out of the tournament in the Round of 16 against Belgium.
He then returned to his former club Manchester United in the summer and has produced multiple rescue acts as the Red Devils navigated a tough start to the season. On the trophy front, however, it has been far from a fulfilling year for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five players who have had a better 2021 than Cristiano Ronaldo.
#5 Jorginho (Italy/Chelsea)
Jorginho received a lot of slander in his early days at Chelsea. He was picked on for apparently being Maurizio Sarri's favorite during the latter's tenure in charge of the Blues. The Italian midfielder was quickly written off as being unable to keep up with the rigors of the Premier League.
However, Jorginho has been able to turn all that around and it's been quite a journey from being an easy target for criticism all the way to being a fan favourite. But he's truly earned his stars along the way. Jorginho was Chelsea's main man in midfield as they won the UEFA Champions League last term.
He was Italy's midfield lynchpin in the Azzurri's triumphant run at Euro 2020 as well. What's great about Jorginho is the fact that he is adept at keeping the ball and distributing it just as much as he is at dispensing his defensive duties.
Jorginho now holds the record for the most number of interceptions made at a European Championship tournament since Opta started collecting data, with 25. Now that is in addition to his outstanding workrate and all his contributions in attack.
Jorginho won the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award and is one of the frontrunners for this year's Ballon d'Or as well. He is one player who can claim to have had a better year than Cristiano Ronaldo.
#4 Erling Haaland (Norway/Borussia Dortmund)
Like Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland's trophy haul is not all that impressive. He did manage to win the DFB Pokal with Borussia Dortmund last term but most major trophies have eluded him. The Norwegian striker was absent from Euro 2020 after his national side failed to qualify for the continental competition.
However, it wouldn't be fair to have a peep at Haaland's numbers and argue that he hasn't had a better year than Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2021, Haaland has scored 43 goals and provided 10 assists in 45 appearances for both club and country. He is easily the most sought-after striker in the world right now.
Haaland is a young, athletic, technically adept and pacy striker who is incredible with his movements.
#3 Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain)
There's too much emphasis these days on Lionel Messi being unable to break his duck in Ligue 1 so far. Messi is yet to score in Ligue 1 in five appearances. But he has scored three goals in three Champions League appearances for PSG.
Messi has also had a great year. He won the Pichichi trophy for being La Liga's top scorer with 30 goals in 35 appearances. Messi won the Golden Boot and was named the Best Player of the tournament as Argentina won the 2021 Copa America this summer.
He scored four goals and provided five assists in seven appearances in continental competition. Messi is widely tipped to be the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or this year. In 2021, he has scored 40 goals and provided 14 assists in 52 appearances for club and country.
#2 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
Cristiano Ronaldo's former strike partner Karim Benzema has had one of the best years of his career so far. Despite Real Madrid going trophyless for the first time in 11 years in the 2020-21 season, Benzema's form was a bright spot for the club.
He was their top scorer and in 46 appearances across all competitions last term, he scored 30 goals and provided nine assists. That was enough for him to earn a call up to the French national side after a gap of six years. Benzema celebrated his return by scoring four goals in four appearances at Euro 2020.
He then followed it up by scoring crucial goals for France in the semi-finals and final of the UEFA Nations League, playing a big hand in their triumph. Benzema has also been in sublime form for Real Madrid so far this term. He has scored 14 goals and provided eight assists in 15 appearances across all competitions.
In 2021, for club and country, Benzema has scored 42 goals and provided 13 assists in 55 appearances so far.
#1 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich)
Robert Lewandowski is arguably the best striker on the planet right now. He is certainly the most prolific goalscorer among the elite. The Polish international has been on fire over the past few seasons and has shown no signs of slowing down despite being 33.
In the 2020-21 season, Lewandowski broke Gerd Muller's record for the most goals scored in a single Bundesliga season (40) by scoring 41 goals in 29 appearances. He was Bayern Munich's standout performer as they won the Bundesliga title last term.
Lewandowski has scored 64 goals and provided 11 assists in 51 appearances for both club and country so far this year. He is also one of the frontrunners in the race for this year's Ballon d'Or.
