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#3 N'Golo Kante - France/Chelsea
N'Golo Kante was unstoppable in the closing stages of the 2020-21 season for Chelsea. He was a force to be reckoned with in midfield as he produced match-winning performances one after the other.
Kante picked up four back-to-back man-of-the-match awards for Chelsea, starting from the second leg of the quarter-final to the final of the Champions League. The Frenchman is a tenacious campaigner and is technically proficient in addition to being tactically intelligent.
Kante was one of France's chief weapons at Euro 2020 but they crashed out in the Round of 16 against Switzerland. But having been the standout performer in Chelsea's Champions League triumph, the 30-year-old is definitely in with a chance of being chosen as the Best FIFA Men's Player.
#2 Jorginho - Italy/Chelsea
Jorginho is Chelsea's metronome in midfield. Under Thomas Tuchel, the Italian's influence on the game has become more apparent and the results are starting to show as well. He kept Chelsea's midfield ticking and kept things neat and tidy in the center of the pitch during their triumphant run in the UEFA Champions League.
He was also phenomenal for Italy at Euro 2020. Forced to do more defensive work at the continental tournament, Jorginho came out with flying colours. The 29-year-old topped the list for interceptions (25), recoveries (46) and fouls drawn (18) at Euro 2020.
Jorginho has won two major titles this summer and was an influential figure for his club and country in both triumphs. The UEFA Champions League title and Euro 2020 make for a trophy haul that is difficult to look past.
#1 Lionel Messi - Argentina
It's a bit weird not to see the Barcelona tag right next to Lionel Messi's name. He has officially left the club and it's been a roller coaster of a summer for the Argentina international.
Messi was the driving force behind Argentina's Copa America title win in the summer. He won the Golden Boot and the Best Player Award at the recently concluded continental competition. Messi also won the Pichichi trophy in 2021 after topping the La Liga goalscoring charts with 30 to his name.
He had a haul of 38 goals and 14 assists from 47 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona in the 2020-21 season. He also guided Barcelona to the Copa Del Rey title.
It remains to be seen where Messi will end up ahead of the 2021-22 season. But there's no doubting that it will be a game-changing signing for any side that secures his services.
