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French news magazine France Football released the 2021 Ballon d'Or 30-man shortlist a few days ago. Several players who were among the nominees for the Ballon d'Or in 2019 are no longer in the conversation.
Well, football at a professional level can be extremely demanding. To keep performing at the highest level, players need a whole lot of factors to come together. First of all, they should keep their physicality and endurance intact. Any dip in levels will show and players can get left behind easy.
They also need to remain sharp and focused or else the game will pass them by. There are also other factors that can cause a player to fail to reach the levels that he used to. An ill-advised transfer to a team that doesn't suit him can often cause a player to perform poorly or fail to make an impact.
The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual prize in football
The recipient of the 'Golden Ball' is considered the best player in the world. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have exercised a duopoly of sorts over the Ballon d'Or and have won 11 out of the last 12 editions between them.
It shows an unreal level of consistency at the top of the game. That's also part of the reason why we use phrases like 'out of this world' and 'otherworldly' while describing those two players. It is simply not easy to perform at the highest level for a very long time.
With that in mind, let's take a look at five players from the 2019 Ballon d'Or 30-man shortlist who have fallen off.
#5 Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid)
It wasn't long ago that Joao Felix was being touted as the heir apparent to the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese international had made quite a name for himself at Benfica as a teenager. He scored 20 goals and provided 11 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions in the 2018-19 season.
Felix won the league title with Benfica and copped a €120 million move to Atletico Madrid. But his debut season in La Liga was extremely underwhelming. He scored just nine goals and provided three assists in 36 appearances across all competitions for the Rojiblancos in the 2019-20 season.
Felix did not cover himself in glory last term either, providing just 16 goal contributions in 40 appearances across all competitions. The 21-year-old definitely has the potential to go on to become a big star but for now, he is perched far away from the Ballon d'Or debate.
#4 Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)
Liverpool had two great seasons on the trot in 2018-19 and 2019-20, winning the Champions League and the Premier League in those seasons respectively. Their centre forward/false nine, Roberto Firmino, was crucial to their exploits.
The Brazilian is an intelligent footballer with great technical finesse. Firmino acted as a pivot of sorts, enabling Liverpool's electric wingers Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to flourish. Firmino was a playmaker in the final third and Jurgen Klopp's side greatly benefitted from his presence in the side.
In the 2018-19 season, Firmino scored 16 goals and provided eight assists in 48 appearances across all competitions. However, he has faded greatly since then, letting Salah shoulder most of the load of the goalscoring and creation in the final third.
In fact, in the 2020-21 season, Firmino scored just nine goals and provided nine assists in 48 appearances across all competitions for the Merseysiders. Those are not the kind of numbers that get you into the Ballon d'Or conversation.
#3 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
Gabonese international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has proved to be an inspired signing for Arsenal. He won the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2018-19 campaign, his first full season with the club.
Aubameyang finished just short of winning it again in the 2019-20 season, scoring 22 goals in the Premier League which was one short of Jamie Vardy's haul. However, the 32-year-old's contributions waned greatly in the 2020-21 season and proved to be a liability up top for the Gunners.
He scored just 15 goals and provided four assists in 39 appearances across all competitions. Aubameyang's Premier League goal tally stood at an underwhelming 10 goals in 29 appearances last term.
Arsenal struggled greatly in the 2020-21 season and finished eighth in the Premier League table. That obviously had a lot to do with the poor form showcased by their misfiring striker.
#2 Donny van de Beek (Manchester United)
Manchester United announced the signing of Donny van de Beek in the summer of 2020 amid huge fanfare. However, there were apprehensions regarding whether or not Van de Beek would be a good fit for the Red Devils. As the weeks passed by, the concerns proved to be pertinent.
The Dutchman was one of Ajax's finest players as they made it to the semi-finals of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League against all odds. He scored 17 goals and provided 13 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions from central midfield for Ajax in that season.
But he had a slightly underwhelming campaign in 2019-20 before leaving for Manchester United. His stint at Old Trafford, however, has been nothing short of disappointing.
Van de Beek has largely been used as a substitute at Manchester United and has made just 39 appearances for the club across all competitions so far. He has scored just one goal, which came on his debut, and provided two assists so far.
Although the fans seem to love his work rate and eagerness, it just hasn't worked out for him at Manchester United. Van de Beek is still just 24-years-old and could be one right transfer away from reviving his career.
#1 Eden Hazard (Real Madrid)
Eden Hazard was one of the best players in the world not too long ago. The Belgian international left Chelsea for Real Madrid in 2019. Los Blancos signed the then 28-year-old for a club record sum of €115 million.
However, Real Madrid seemed to have only secured the services of Eden Hazard Lite. He was out of shape as he arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu and started having injury issues on a consistent basis. Hazard was touted as the replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo but he has been more of a headache for Real Madrid than a blessing.
Hazard has, so far, made just 51 appearances for Real Madrid since joining them in the summer of 2019. He has scored a mere five goals and provided just nine assists so far. That's not the kind of output any team would pay top dollar for and Hazard is no longer in the Ballon d'Or conversation.
Check out what legendary Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o had to say about Eden Hazard back in 2019 in the tweet below.
