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The Ballon d'Or is set to return in 2021 after a year's absence and the race for football's most prestigious individual prize is heating up.
The Ballon d'Or was canceled in 2020 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. But we've had an uninterrupted season so far and fully expect the most coveted individual prize in football to make a return.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have exercised a dominating duopoly over the trophy over the past decade and a half. Lionel Messi has gained the lead with six Ballon d'Ors and it will be interesting to see whether or not an ageing Cristiano Ronaldo will be able to match him.
Euros and Copa America to have a huge say in Ballon d'Or 2021
We could have plenty of other worthy contenders in this race apart from just these two. With the Euros and Copa America set to take place in the summer, international competitions will have a huge say in who goes on to win the award.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or this term.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Portugal)
Juventus have endured a difficult season this time around under new manager Andrea Pirlo. They had a period in the middle of the season where it looked like the Bianconeri might just return to the top of the table, but a slump in form has since seen them slip into a top 4 dogfight.
Juventus will take on Atalanta in the final of the Coppa Italia shortly and that is their only shot at silverware this season. Cristiano Ronaldo has continued to shine though. He has been their standout performer this season and is on course to end the season as the top scorer in Serie A.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 34 goals and provided five assists for Juventus in 40 appearances across all competitions. He has also scored three goals in eight appearances for the Portuguese national side across various competitions.
Portugal are among the favourites heading into the Euros and if Cristiano Ronaldo can lead the side to a European championship, he'll have staked his claim on the Ballon d'Or this year.
#4 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Poland)
Robert Lewandowski, the man justified in feeling robbed of the Ballon d'Or in its absence last year, has made a strong case for himself once again this year. However, Bayern Munich have not been as dominant this season as compared to their treble-winning last season
Bayern Munich have crashed out of the Champions League but are on course to win yet another Bundesliga title. Despite Lewandowski's incredible numbers, there's a feeling that winning one domestic title might not be enough to propel him to the Ballon d'Or.
Lewandowski has scored 41 goals and provided six assists for Bayern Munich in 35 appearances across all competitions. He has scored a further seven for Poland in eight appearances across the UEFA Nations League and FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
#3 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/Belgium)
Despite missing a chunk of the season through injury, Kevin De Bruyne has delivered the goods for Pep Guardiola's side and has once again been crucial to their dominance in all their competitions this season.
De Bruyne's Manchester City are now in with a big chance of making it to the final of the UEFA Champions League after their 2-1 first leg advantage. They have already won the League Cup this season, and are on course to lift the Premier League Trophy
De Bruyne has scored nine goals and provided fifteen assists for Manchester City in 37 appearances across all competitions this term. He has scored two goals and assisted four in six games across all competitions for Belgium as well.
De Bruyne continues to be one of the best playmakers in the business and if he can inspire Manchester City to the UEFA Champions League title, it's going to be hard to deny him the honour of finally getting his hands on the Ballon d'Or.
#2 Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
What a season Barcelona have had! After the implosion at the club last summer, it took quite a while for things to settle down. Now that a new president has been elected, it feels like order will be restored at Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has been doing his best to ensure that Barcelona stay true to their nature on the pitch. After all the drama surrounding his exit last summer, it took a while for Messi to hit his stride in the 2020-21 season. But since the turn of the calendar year, he has been nearly unstoppable.
Messi has been on fire and has been the most productive player in the top European leagues in 2021, scoring 26 goals and providing nine assists in 27 matches across all competitions for Barcelona.The Catalans ruined a great chance to take the lead in the La Liga title race in the home stretch but are still in with a shout.
Lionel Messi has had poor luck with the Argentina national side and it's hard to predict how well they'll do in the Copa America. In order to win the Ballon d'Or, it is imperative that Messi goes on to win the league double with Barcelona after having already won the Copa Del Rey.
Lionel Messi has scored 36 goals and racked up 11 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona. Those numbers are incredible but he will need more trophies if he is to seal a record seventh Ballon d'Or.
#1 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain/France)
Widely viewed as the successor to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe is expected to dominate world football in the years to come. His blistering pace and mesmerizing trickery has proved to be an asset for both Paris Saint-Germain and the French national side.
Mbappe scored a hat-trick as PSG dispatched Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 and he subsequently bagged a brace against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. Paris Saint-Germain will be dependent on him to produce the goods if they're to go the distance in Europe.
With just three games remaining in Ligue 1, LOSC Lille hold a slender one-point lead over Paris Saint-Germain and it is difficult to predict an outright winner at the moment. Hence, the European title will be critical to Mbappe's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or despite his heroic exploits so far this season.
He will also have a golden opportunity at winning the individual honor in the summer as world champions France are favorites to win the Euros.. Mbappe has scored 37 goals and provided 10 assists for Paris Saint-Germain in 43 appearances across all competitions this term.
He has scored two goals and provided an assist in seven appearances for France across various competitions this season as well.
