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The 2021 Ballon d'Or winner will be announced on November 29 and there is a great level of excitement among the football fans. Due to the award ceremony being canceled owing to the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the enthusiasm is more than normal this year.
Since the announcement of the 30 Ballon d'Or nominees in October, there has been a lot of debate as to who might take home the award. The nomination list has some world-class players and it will be a close call this time around.
The 2021 Ballon d'Or winner will set new records
From the 30 shortlisted footballers, most fans have a good idea about the likely candidates to win the Ballon d'Or. Some names are pretty obvious ones, while others have come a long way in their career to get to this stage.
Here, we take a look at the five most unique records that are likely to be made depending on who wins the prestigious award:
#5 Jorginho
The Chelsea midfielder has had a phenomenal year. He has had success both at club and international level in 2021. Jorginho is a vital player for the Blues and has done pretty well under Thomas Tuchel.
The incisive passing and vision from his holding midfield role has helped the Italian become crucial to Chelsea's success. Jorginho won the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League with the Blues and was also an integral member of the Euro 2020 winning squad with Italy.
Should he win the Ballon d'Or this year, he will become the first Chelsea player ever to achieve this marvelous award. Frank Lampard came close to winning it in 2005, when he ended up second best only to the great Ronaldinho.
With the Ballon d'Or victory this year, Jorginho could also become the sixth Italian to win it and the second Italian this century after Fabio Cannavaro. He remains the only player on this list to have won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the European Championship.
#4 Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah has been in sensational form this season and it has been more or less the same for him ever since he signed for Liverpool in 2017. The Egyptian forward has run riot in the Premier League with his brilliant creativity and amazing goal-scoring abilities.
The left-footed winger has so far scored 106 league goals in just 157 appearances for the Reds. He has already directly contributed 18 Premier League goals this season in 12 matches. Salah has been a powerhouse for Liverpool and, more importantly, a go-to player for Jurgen Klopp.
Despite the chances being bleak, should the former Chelsea man win the Ballon d'Or this year, he'll become the first Egyptian ever to do so. Salah could also become only the second African player after George Weah to win this prestigious award.
If he ends up winning, Salah would only be the second Liverpool player to achieve the feat after Michael Owen in 2001. It is only just that a player of Salah's caliber wins the Ballon d'Or at some point in his career.
#3 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
The Ballon d'Or nominee list has some familiar faces and Robert Lewandowski is one of them. The Polish striker has longed to win this award for a very long time now.
Lewandowski has been nominated six times for the Ballon d'Or, including this year, but has failed to end up in the top three even once. If not for the pandemic, the striker would have probably won the award in 2020. But Lewandowski has not let that personal disappointment affect his game.
The Bayern Munich forward has been a goal-scoring machine for the German club. In his 345 appearances for the Bavarian club, he has scored a mind-boggling 316 times.
The former Borussia Dortmund striker won the European Golden Shoe last season and is a strong contender for the Ballon d'Or this year. Should Robert Lewandowski win it, he'll become the first Polish player ever to achieve this feat.
It will be a proud moment for all the Poland fans and it would only be just given his fascinating performances over the years. Upon winning the Ballon d'Or, Lewandowski will become the fourth Bayern Munich player to do so and the first Bundesliga player to win it this decade.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or five times and his hunger to win it again seems to never end. The Portuguese superstar has won a number of accolades in his football career but winning this amazing award for the sixth time would mean a lot to him.
The former Real Madrid forward had a great time with Juventus before deciding to return to Manchester United this summer. Despite the Old Lady finishing fourth last season, Ronaldo managed to score 29 goals in 33 Serie A appearances. His form with the Portugal team has only got better with age.
With 115 goals, he now has the most international goals in men's football. It is a phenomenal achievement for someone still going strong at the age of 36. Should Ronaldo win his sixth Ballon d'Or, he'll become the first ever Premier League player to win the award twice.
It would also mean that a Portuguese player has won the award for the eighth time. Ronaldo would surely feel nostalgic if he wins the Ballon d'Or for the second time whilst playing at Manchester United. But it remains highly unlikely that he will have the chance to experience it this year.
#1 Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)
Lionel Messi is the ultimate champion when it comes to winning the Ballon d'Or. Having won it six times, there is no other player who won the award on more occasions.
The Argentine surprised almost the entire football world when he decided to leave Barcelona and join Paris Saint-Germain this summer. Having been such a loyal servant to the Catalan club, it still feels unreal to see him play in France. That being said, he will be eyeing his seventh Ballon d'Or victory in Paris after having a successful outing in the Copa America this year.
It will be both special and different for Messi to win it this year. If he wins the Ballon d'Or, the left-footed forward will be the first ever player to win it while playing for Paris Saint-Germain. It will also make him the second Ligue 1 player to win it after Jean-Pierre Papin did it for Marseille in 1991.
For the first time in his career, Messi will be winning a Ballon d'Or away from Barcelona should it happen this year. Achieving this feat would also make the Argentine superstar the first Ligue 1 player to win it in the 21st century.
