"He has my admiration as a player" - Rafael Nadal picks his Ballon d'Or 2021 winner

The race for the 2021 Ballon d'Or award is heating up and tennis legend Rafael Nadal has backed Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema for the award.

The 20-time grand slam winner is a huge Real Madrid fan and explained in a social media post why he believes Karim Benzema should win the prestigious individual prize.

Nadal, in his tweet, said:

"He has my admiration as a player, he shows commitment to the sport and demonstrates professionalism at his age.

"Good luck Benzema and you have my support for the 2021 Ballon d'Or."

The Real Madrid star has been in inspirational form this season and even played a crucial role in France's Nations League triumph earlier this month. Although Los Blancos did not win any major trophy last season, Benzema was personally in fine form and is among the top contenders for the Ballon d'Or award this year.

Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski are Benzema's biggest competitors for the 2021 Ballon d'Or award

Argentina's Copa America triumph has made Messi the favorite to win the 2021 Ballon d'Or award

Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski have both had some incredible achievements this year. The 6-time Ballon d'Or winner finally won an international trophy with Argentina this summer, playing a starring role in the tournament.

Robert Lewandowski, on the other hand, took his goalscoring form to new heights, breaking Gerd Muller's long-standing record of 40 goals in a single season in the Bundesliga.

Other names in contention for the Ballon d'Or award include the Chelsea duo Jorginho and N'Golo Kante. Both midfielders played a crucial role in Chelsea's incredible UEFA Champions League triumph last season.

Jorginho additionally went on to win UEFA Euro 2020 with Italy making him one of the leading contenders for the award. This year's Ballon d'Or race has been the closest in recent times with no clear outright favorite for the award.

While high-profile players like Luis Suarez and Kylian Mbappe have backed Lionel Messi for the award, plenty of Real Madrid legends have put their weight behind Karim Benzema.

Undoubtedly one of the best players in world football at the moment, Karim Benzema's intricate forward play and clinical finishing is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

The results of the Ballon d'Or award are set to be announced on November 29th in Paris. It will be interesting to see if the Frenchman does indeed end up winning the prestigious award this year.