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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated world football over the past decade and a half but neither of them might win the Ballon d'Or this time around.
The Ballon d'Or was canceled in 2020 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic but is set to return this year. This year, unlike what we've witnessed over the past decade and a half, the race for football's most prestigious individual prize has been blown wide open and become quite unpredictable.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi exercised a sort of duopoly over the Ballon d'Or between 2008 and 2019 with Luka Modric's win in 2018 the only anomaly. Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or in 2019 and would have been a strong contender had the award not been canceled last year.
Though both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have stacked up great numbers, there are several worthy candidates in the running for the Ballon d'Or this time around.
Will the Lionel Messi - Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly over the Ballon d'Or be broken this year?
The Euros and Copa America are set to take place in the summer and these tournaments will have quite a say over who's going home with the Ballon d'Or at the end of the year. Messi has a record six Ballon d'Ors while Ronaldo has five and the latter will be desperate to win it again, though his chances this year are rather slim at the moment.
Cristiano Ronaldo's chances could greatly improve if he can lead Portugal to a triumphant run at the Euros. Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has already won the Copa Del Rey and Barcelona are still in with a shout in the La Liga title race. It remains to be seen whether Messi can finally inspire Argentina to Copa America glory.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five players who can beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the Ballon d'Or this year.
5 players who can beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the Ballon d'Or this year
#5 Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan)
After an underwhelming spell at Manchester United, Romelu Lukaku was signed by Inter Milan for €80 million in the summer of 2019. He silenced all his critics in his debut Serie A campaign, scoring 32 goals across the Serie A, Champions League and the Europa League. He has taken it one step further by leading Inter Milan to the Serie A title this season.
At Inter Milan, Antonio Conte plays a style of football where his forwards have a lot of space to run into and that's exactly the kind of environment in which Lukaku has thrived. He has continued to be prolific for Belgium as well, scoring seven goals from seven appearances this term.
Lukaku has scored 27 goals and racked up 10 assists in 41 appearances for Inter Milan across all competitions this term. Lukaku is currently the second top goalscorer in the Serie A this season with 21 goals, six fewer than Cristiano Ronaldo's haul.
Belgium are also strong contenders for the Euros title and a great showing in the competition could do wonders for Lukaku's chances in the race for the Ballon d'Or.
#4 Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
No defender has won the Ballon d'Or since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006. In fact, only four players have won the Ballon d'Or in the subsequent 13 years - Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Luka Modric. However, Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk did come quite close after he led the Merseysiders to Champions League glory.
Ruben Dias has had a similar effect at Manchester City. A big-money signing from Benfica, Dias has been a great addition to Pep Guardiola's backline. He has built a strong partnership with John Stones, keeping 14 cleansheets in 29 appearances in the Premier League, and Manchester City are on course to win the league title with the best defensive record in the league.
Ruben Dias has produced exceptional performances in the Champions League as well and has played a big role in City's journey to the final. The 23-year-old has already won the Carabao Cup with City and they're favourites to win the Champions League as well.
In addition to all that, Portugal are one of the strongest sides in the Euros with players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and an in-form Andre Silva leading the line. A good run in the competition could further solidify Dias' chances of making it to the podium and even winning the Ballon d'Or.
#3 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
The crown prince of football, Kylian Mbappe, has had yet another spectacular season at individual level. However, Paris Saint-Germain have had a rather dull 2020-21 season and stand the chance of finishing the season without major trophies after crashing out of the Champions League in the semi-final stage.
Mbappe has scored 37 goals and provided 10 assists in 43 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain this season. After winning the World Cup in 2018, France will be hoping to build on it and go all the way in the upcoming Euros. Kylian Mbappe's blistering pace and immaculate technique will be pivotal to their chances.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not a single major title will be enough for Kylian Mbappe to win the Ballon d'Or despite all the individual brilliance he has shown this year, including scoring a hat-trick at the Camp Nou and bagging a brace at the Allianz Arena.
#2 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Robert Lewandowski was the odds-on favourite to win the Ballon d'Or last year. With a haul of 55 goals across all competitions and the continental treble in his kitty, the Polish international missed out on the Ballon d'Or in heartbreaking fashion after the award was canceled in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lewandowski's goalscoring form has only improved this season. However, Bayern Munich have not been as dominant domestically or in Europe. They were eliminated from the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Paris Saint-Germain and will have to be content with just the Bundesliga title this term.
He has scored a whopping 43 goals across all competitions for Bayern Munich this term. He has also scored five goals in six games across various competitions for Poland.
There is no striker who is more prolific than Lewandowski right now. The 32-year-old has found the net in all of his last 11 appearances, scoring 17 goals in the process. We wouldn't be very surprised if Lewandowski goes on to win the Ballon d'Or on the basis of individual brilliance alone.
#1 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Arguably the most dominant midfielder in the Premier League in recent times, Kevin De Bruyne has been a force to be reckoned with this season as well. With him on the pitch, Manchester City's transition from defence to attack happens in the blink of an eye.
His pin-point passing and impeccable technique make him the most important player in Guardiola's setup. De Bruyne has once again played a big hand in Manchester City's dominance in the Premier League. He could end the season with three major domestic trophies now that City have made it to the Champions League final.
De Bruyne has nine goals and 15 assists to his name in all competitions for Manchester City this term. He has also scored two goals and provided four assists in six games for Belgium.
Kevin De Bruyne could also have a great run with Belgium at the Euros and this might just be the year where he gets the recognition he deserves for all his contributions across the years.
