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The 2021 Ballon d'Or 30-man list is out and the best contemporary players have expectedly made the cut. Hailing from different countries and clubs, these men have been voted by sports journalists and coaches/captains of national teams from across the world.
Voting has been done on the basis of individual and team performances. In some cases, team achievements were overlooked if the individual's performance was far too good. The final 30 of the 2021 Ballon d'Or holds many regular names along with that of a handful of newcomers.
In this article let us take a look at the nations that's got the most players representing their countries at the Ballon d'Or gala.
5 countries with the most players in the Ballon d'Or 30-man list 2021
#5 Portugal — 3
With three players and 7 Ballon d'Or trophies between them, Portugal has earned quite some reputation when it comes to the prestigious individual accolade. Eusabio and Luis Figo having won one each, but it's Cristiano Ronaldo's five that make the numbers impressive for Portugal.
The Portuguese players had an impressive season club wise and the same has seen three of their stars — Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias — make it into the Ballon d'Or 30-man list.
Bruno Fernandes is the reason behind Manchester United's recent resurgence. Ever since the 27-year-old arrived at Old Trafford, the team's mentality seems to have changed. An impressive run-of-form saw Bruno and United reach the UEFA Europa final last year.
As for Cristiano Ronaldo, one needs no explanation as to why he is here. The Portuguese captain has earned a nomination for the 12th time straight. That's a record!
Manchester City center-back Ruben Dias is an EPL winner, UCL runner-up, UCL Defender of the Season, UCL Squad of the Season member, EPL Squad of the Season member, FWA Footballer of the Year and Manchester City Player of the Year. Justified!
#4 Spain — 3
Pedri, Azpilicueta and Gerard Moreno are the Spanish players to make it onto the Ballon d'Or 30-man list. Pedri, who played 73 games throughout last season for club and country, has let the world know of the talent he possesses.
The Barcelona man broke several records within the last few months. He is the youngest player ever to represent Spain at the European Championships and ended up as the only Spanish player in the team of the season.
Chelsea's Champions League winning captain is the other Spaniard to make it to the gala. He led the Blues from the front in domestic and continental outings. The last Spanish player is Villareal's Gerard Moreno.
Moreno ended up as the joint second-highest goal scorer in La Liga last and joint second-highest goal scorer in the Europa League last year. He put on a stellar individual performance along with winning a trophy in the process.
#3 France — 3
Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and N'Golo Kante are the three French players on the 2021 Ballon d'Or 30-man list. Among them, Karim Benzema is the only player without any trophies from last season. However, the Real Madrid man was on top of his game and found the net on a regular basis.
His fine form urged the French national team to lift the ban on him and picked him to play for the country at Euro 2020. Benzema ended up as the top goal-scorer for France at the tournament. He also finished the 2020/21 La Liga season as the top goal-getter for Real Madrid.
With 27 goals (the most in Ligue 1) and a Coupe de France trophy, Kylian Mbappe has made the final 30 as well. The Parisian striker has been lauded as the 'next big thing' in football and he has already shown enough signs.
Chelsea's beating heart N'Golo Kante is the next French player on the list. The UCL winner has been at the center of every club and national achievement in recent times. Along with his smile and humility, Kante is also known for his workrate.
#2 England — 4
If it wasn't for that ill-fated penalty shootout, England would have got everything right at Euro 2020. They conceded the least number of goals throughout the tournament to reach the final.
England's fantastic run was backed by supreme level individual performances. As a reward, four of their players have made it into the Ballon d'Or final 30. Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Phil Foden are those players.
Harry Kane and Sterling, with 4 and 3 goals, respectively, were the joint second and joint third-most goal-getters in the tournament. The latter also got inducted into the Team of the Tournament. Mason Mount and Phil Foden also enjoyed great success last year at club and international level.
#1 Italy — 5
They were deserved Euro 2020. Under the guidance of Roberto Mancini, the Azzurri went onto register a 37-games unbeaten run which also earned them the European Championship.
A total of five players made it to the final 30 of the Ballon d'Or 2021. Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Jorginho, Nicolo Barella and Gianluigi Donarrumma are the players to have made the cut.
Jorginho recently won the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award and this makes him a clear favorite over the others. While Bonucci and Chiellini failed to register another Scudetto, Barella did so with Inter. Donnarrumma, who bagged the EURO 2020 Player of the Tournament award, is expected to finish in the top half of the Ballon d'Or list as well.
