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#3 N'Golo Kante - France/Chelsea
N'Golo Kante is a tireless worker and he has been one of the most consistent players over the last six years. Kante was one of Leicester City's standout performers in their 2015-16 Premier League triumph. He joined Chelsea right after that and won the Premier League with the Stamford Bridge outfit.
Kante was Chelsea's best player in their UEFA Champions League triumph this past season. The Frenchman produced four back-to-back man-of-the-match performances from the second leg of the quarter-finals to the final to help Chelsea be crowned European champions.
The 30-year-old is one of the most adored footballers in the world. He is also admired by his managers for the sheer amount of work he does on a football pitch. But Kante's passing ability and tactical intelligence are rather underrated.
He is a slick passer of the ball and he is able to thrive in midfield thanks to his ability to read the game and predict what is going to happen.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal/Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time. He has been at the top of his game for almost a decade and a half now and at 36-years-old, he is still going strong.
Ronaldo will be disappointed to have been eliminated from Euro 2020 in the Round of 16. He was the leading goalscorer in the tournament with five goals to his name from four matches. The Portuguese international currently plies his trade for Juventus.
Despite the Bianconeri having a torrid 2020-21 season, Ronaldo shone at an individual level. He won the Serie A Golden Boot after scoring 29 goals in 33 appearances. He scored a total of 36 goals and provided four assists in 44 appearances across all competitions in the 2020-21 season for the Old Lady.
Ronaldo has lost a yard of pace in recent years but he has evolved his game to maintain his high level of productivity. He no longer plays a wide role. The 36-year-old has become one of the best centre-forwards in the game. That's a testament to his technical prowess and the ability to adapt and evolve.
#1 Robert Lewandowski - Poland/Bayern Munich
Arguably the best striker of his generation, Robert Lewandowski has been making goalscoring look easy for years. The Polish international was robbed off the Ballon d'Or in 2020 as the award was canceled in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But he kicked on in the same vein in the 2020-21 season and broke Gerd Muller's record for the most goals scored in a Bundesliga season. He scored 41 goals in just 29 appearances for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga this past term.
Lewandowski amassed a total of 48 goals and nine assists in 40 appearances across all competitions in the 2020-21 season for the Bavarians.
Lewandowski is the perfect number 9. He is an excellent finisher whose movement in and around the final third is the stuff young kids ought to study and try to emulate. He is also great at aerial duels and is excellent with the ball at his feet.
Lewandowski is a top contender for the Ballon d'Or this year and it'll hard to complain if the award does indeed go to him.
