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#3 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
It's safe to say that no one has improved their credentials in the Ballon d'Or race since the start of the 2021-22 season like Karim Benzema has. The Frenchman has been in sublime form all summer.
He started off by justifying a call-up to the French national side after a gap of six years by scoring four goals in four appearances at Euro 2020. Benzema scored a goal each in the semi-finals and the finals of France's triumphant run in the UEFA Nations League as well.
Although he went trophyless at club level in the 2020-21 season, he scored a total of 30 goals and provided nine assists in 46 appearances across all competitions. He has also been one of the most in-form players in the new season.
The 33-year-old has scored 10 goals and provided seven assists in just 10 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid in the 2021-22 season so far. He has definitely worked his way into the Ballon d'Or conversation in the past couple of months.
#2 Jorginho (Italy/Chelsea)
Jorginho has had the best summer among all of Lionel Messi's competitors in this year's Ballon d'Or race. The Italian midfield lynchpin played a crucial role as Chelsea won the Champions League last term.
His tactical intelligence and technical expertise were of paramount importance as Italy were crowned champions of Europe in the summer. Jorginho has been able to dispense both his offensive and defensive duties with aplomb from the heart of midfield for both club and country.
He also won the UEFA Super Cup with Chelsea after beating Europa League winners Villarreal early in the new season. Jorginho's consistency and trophy haul makes him one of the favourites to finish on the Ballon d'Or podium this time around.
#1 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich)
On being quizzed about the possibility of winning the Ballon d'Or this term, Robert Lewandowksi told MARCA:
"My achievements speak for themselves because my last two years have been a big achievement, not just for me but for any player in history."
We'll have to agree with him on that. No player has matched the sheer numbers that Lewandowski has been able to put up or match his goalscoring rate in recent times. The 33-year-old scored 48 goals and provided nine assists from 40 appearances across all competitions for Bayern Munich in the 2020-21 season.
However, he only has the Bundesliga title in the trophy department and while that's not underwhelming by any stretch of the imagination, it might not be enough. Lewandowski also scored three goals in three matches at Euro 2020 but Poland crashed out of the competition in the group stages.
He has been in terrific form this term as well, scoring 13 goals and providing an assist in 10 appearances across all competitions for Bayern Munich so far.
