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The Ballon d'Or is undeniably the most prestigious individual honor in football.
Every year, the best performing star is recognized for his accomplishments with club and country by being awarded the coveted Ballon d'Or.
Only a handful of players have had the distinction of lifting the prize and the race for its 2021 edition is being hotly contested too.
FIFA recently released a 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist of the best players, among whom one will be declared winner next month at the annual ceremony in Paris.
The favorites have already been drawn out, with unusual suspects Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski all featuring and considered to be leading the race for Ballon d'Or 2021.
But given the prize is often handed out to prolific forwards who score a ton of goals, we'll look at the
Top five forwards who have bagged a Ballon d'Or nomination
Note: This list considers not only player quality but also how well the players have performed in the calendar year
#5 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain/France)
Aside from a poor UEFA Euro 2020 campaign in which he failed to score a single goal and missed a crucial, tournament-ending penalty, Kylian Mbappe has had a good year. But has it been good enough to win the Ballon d'Or?
He starred for PSG in the league last season, despite the Parisians finishing second and came up big during UEFA Champions League nights.
The 22-year-old has started the new season in a similar vein and has now redeemed himself on the international stage too by playing an influential role in France's UEFA Nations League title.
It burnished Mbappe's prolific credentials once more and displayed what a world-class talent he is.
But despite all his accomplishments and titles, the Frenchman's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or remain slim for now.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Manchester United/Portugal)
It hasn't been the most stellar year for Cristiano Ronaldo by any account. But the fact that he's still among the leading figures in the race for Ballon d’Or says everything you need to know about him.
Even as Juventus endured their worst league campaign in over a decade, the Portuguese ace starred for them by consistently bagging goals and stepping up in crucial moments.
Now, he's made a flying start to life at Manchester United on his fairytale return to the club with which he won his very first Ballon d'Or.
On the international front, Ronaldo has had another excellent year. He's scored 13 times in 12 games whilst also surpassing Ali Daei's long-standing record of 109 international goals to become the greatest marksman in history in the process.
His exploits included a Golden Boot-winning five goals at Euro 2020 as the 36-year-old helped Seleccao negotiate with the group of death and progress into the knockout stages.
More recently, he struck a record 10th international hat-trick against Luxembourg in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, extending his all-time international goal tally to 115 goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo is no stranger to the Ballon d'Or, having won five of them thus far in his career. Only time will tell if he can win his sixth Ballon d'Or and equal his rival, Lionel Messi.
#3 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/France)
How Karim Benzema has never made it to the Ballon d’Or podium is anyone's guess. But this year might just be his chance to not only break the duck, but also lift the prize itself.
The Real Madrid superstar has quietly had a fantastic year on a personal level, starring for both club and country to stake a strong claim to this year's Ballon d'Or.
He's got 39 goals in the calendar year, having made the best-ever start to a La Liga campaign by any player, whilst also returning to the French squad with a bang.
He was their highest scorer at UEFA Euro 2020 with four goals and has now scored in the semi-finals and finals of the Nations League to help his side to the title.
Currently, there's no player more in-form than the Real Madrid ace, with the exception of just Robert Lewandowski and Mohamed Salah. So a small minority continue to push his case for Ballon d’Or glory.
It's tricky, but there's a small chance Karim Benzema could win this year's Ballon d'Or.
#2 Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain/Argentina)
Lionel Messi is tipped to win this year's Ballon d’Or in several quarters. But while that isn't certain, there's no denying he's among the leading figures for the prize. He too, is familiar with the Ballon d'Or, having won a record six of them so far. Many would bet he's on course to winning this year's Ballon d'Or and improving his tally to 7.
It's been a memorable 2021 for La Pulga. He finally got his mitts to an international trophy in the summer, before going through a heartbreaking Barcelona exit after 17 glorious years at the club.
Perhaps 'eventful' would be a better way to describe his calendar year? Either way, his stats are as impressive as ever.
Despite the Blaugrana making their worst La Liga finish in over a decade and witnessing another European heartache last season, Messi shone through and through with 38 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.
When it comes to calendar year stats, he's on 39 goals, including one for his new side PSG, which he scored in the UEFA Champions League last month. An outrageous effort against Manchester City.
He cannot add to his existing trophy count for the calendar year (Copa del Rey and the Copa America) - but still has time to improve his stats further. You'd bet your money that Messi likely will, after displaying signs of acclimatizing to new surroundings. The silverware he has won will certainly add to his chances for this year's Ballon d'Or.
#1 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Poland)
Robert Lewandowski owned football's calendar year in 2020 with the highest number of goals and titles, both. Despite the anguish of last year's Ballon d’Or award being canceled, he's continued his blistering run of form this year too.
With 48 goals in the calendar year, including 39 for Bayer Munich, the Polish hitman once again leads the goalscoring count for men's footballers in top-leagues for 2021.
Along with that, he's also lifted three trophies on the club front - the Bundesliga, the Club World Cup and the German Supercup. He starred for the Bavarians in each of them to firmly assert himself in the race for football's biggest individual prize - the Ballon d'Or - again.
According to reports, Lewandowski will indeed be honored this year with the 2020 Ballon d’Or for his imperious form throughout last year.
And should that really be the case, getting his hands on the latest edition of the Ballon d'Or as well will be an added bonus. He has, after all, given us the two best years of his professional career so far.
