“He’s not the best” - Rio Ferdinand reveals 2021 Ballon d'Or nomination that completely “baffles” him

The race for the Ballon d'Or 2021 is heating up, with the winner set to be announced later this month. Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has been tipped by many to win the award following his success with club and country this year.

However, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand doesn't think the Italian deserves to be named the best footballer on the planet. According to the Englishman, Jorginho doesn't belong in the Ballon d'Or class.

"He’s not the best player at Chelsea and he’s not the first name on the sheet for Italy either," Ferdinand said while discussing Jorginho's Ballon d'Or chances.

"He’s a very good player, don’t get me wrong and I’m not trying to be disrespectful, I don’t see how he gets on the list of those players and the level these guys have been playing at."

The former Manchester United centre-back also noted that Ngolo Kante, not Jorginho, was the best player in Chelsea's Champions League winning team last season.

"If you look at Chelsea, in the run-in to winning the CL, I think [N’Golo] Kante was MOM in five of the last six games. It baffles me."

Jorginho became a hot Ballon d'Or candidate after winning the Champions League with Chelsea last season as well as the European Championship with Italy this summer. However, Ferdinand believes the midfielder needs more than just trophies to compare with football's elites.

The Englishman added: "He’s won two big trophies, I get that. But when you’re putting him up against the four other players there it doesn’t really make sense to me."

Jorginho has had a spectacular year with club and country, putting him in the race for the Ballon d'Or 2021

Who are the favorites to win the Ballon d'Or award this year?

According to multiple reports Lionel Messi currently leads the race for the 2021 Ballon d'Or award. The Argentine had a decent year with Barcelona last season, bagging 38 goals and 14 assists to help his side claim the Copa del Rey.

He also inspired his country to Copa America success this summer, recording the highest number of goals and assists as well as being named player of the tournament.

Next up is Robert Lewandowski, who bagged 48 goals and nine assists for Bayern Munich across all competitions last season. Jorginho's trophy fest has put him among the top candidates, while the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Ngolo Kante and Kevin De Bruyne also stand a chance.