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Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has backed N'Golo Kante over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the Ballon d'Or award in 2021.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the Ballon d'Or awards in the last decade. However, N'Golo Kante's brilliant performances for Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League have made him one of the favorites to claim the prestigious individual prize this year.
Speaking to Eurosport, Paul Pogba said:
"What I would like to say to the whole world is that the ‘NG’ (N'Golo Kante) we have seen in recent months has always been the same.
"We talk a lot about his performances but he has always been as good as ever.
"There was no Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the semi-final [of the Champions League], so it's good to see the performances of the midfielders or even the defenders.
"I said a long time ago that it would be appropriate, if Chelsea won, for him to win the Ballon d'Or. It would be deserved too.
"He's always performed well. I'm not surprised what he's doing, I'm just surprised that he's still doing it. He has always played matches like that."
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have had good individual seasons
Although Juventus and Barcelona could not win their respective leagues and did not have much of an impact on the UEFA Champions League, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have had stunning individual seasons.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the top scorer award in Serie A, while Lionel Messi claimed the Pichichi award comfortably in La Liga. Cristiano Ronaldo's and Lionel Messi's performances at Euro 2020 and Copa America (if the tournament goes through) respectively could go a long way in deciding the Ballon d'Or race.
Also read: Ballon d'Or Power Rankings: May 2021
Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe could also challenge N'Golo Kante for Ballon d'Or 2021
Arguably the most consistent player over the last 2 seasons, Robert Lewandowski took goalscoring to new heights, scoring an incredible 41 goals in the Bundesliga this season.
The Polish striker definitely deserved to win the Ballon d'Or award last year, but the event was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Kylian Mbappe, on the other hand, has been PSG's talisman and will be the main focus of France's attack in Euro 2020.
N'Golo Kante has had a stunning end to the 2020/21 campaign, but he will have to maintain his good form for the next few months if he is to claim the Ballon d'Or award in 2021.
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