It is easy to forget that other players can win the Ballon d'Or given Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the field for such a long time. After the win of Luka Modric temporarily broke the domination in 2018 before Messi won again in 2019, all signs are pointing toward a new winner in 2021. Here are three reasons why the new winner will be Chelsea star Jorginho.
1. Jorginho's club and nation success
Jorginho was not able to win the national title in England with Chelsea. However, his team was able to pull together a win in the Champions League, eliminating 13-time winners Real Madrid and topping national rival Manchester City in the final. The midfield, largely led by Jorginho and N'Golo Kante, was instrumental in overpowering the Pep Guardiola squad in the final.
Jorginho truly pulled all the strings in every Chelsea game he played in, especially under new coach Thomas Tuchel, who took over for club legend Frank Lampard in January. While Kante was the workhorse of the midfield, and players such as Kai Havertz and Mason Mount had a more offensive role in the squad, it was Jorginho who was determining how the team plays. His passes and leadership in the middle were on full display.
The same story can be repeated for Italy, where the workhorse of the midfield was Marco Veratti, rather than the French Kante. While the missed penalty in the Euro 2020 final can be detrimental to his argument for the highest individual honor in football, the absolute domination of the Italian midfield over all rivals cannot be overlooked, and it was most influenced by the pure genius of Jorginho. It can seem, at times, that he is completely non-existent on the field, but his effect on the team cannot be measured in any stat.
2. Weakened field
In complete honesty, it can be said that this is the first year where there are multiple candidates with cases to win this award, but without an iron-clad argument for one to win over all. Even when Ronaldo and Messi were the perceived winners of the Ballon d'Or, it would still be widely known even before the ceremony, with one of them having a measurably better season. However, it seems like some balance has been restored to world football, at least individually, and there truly is not a clear winner.
Many players can make a case for it, but other than Jorginho, it seems like only Messi and Robert Lewandowski can be considered frontrunners, with Kante as a dark-horse candidate to win it. Kante is obviously a mesmerizing player whose impact on the field is also hardly measured by stats. However, a poor showing of his national team in Euro 2020 this summer could prove to be an obstacle even Kante cannot overcome. Lewandowski scored a ton of goals and broke one of the most prestigious records in Bundesliga, overtaking the late, great Gerd Muller in league goals scored in one season, but an early exit of Poland from Euro 2020 and lack of real European success with Bayern seems like too much to overlook when selecting the new Ballon d'Or winner.
Messi is, as always, a very specific story. While Barcelona largely disappointed, Messi was always up to the task, scoring some very important goals that saved his club from further failure. Also, Messi finally broke the international barrier this summer, winning the Copa America with Argentina, which is something that might work in his favor. However, even scoring 38 in 47 games cannot help the fact that Barcelona was eliminated in embarrassing fashion in the Champions League by Messi's new club, PSG. They also were not up to the task in La Liga, not being able to capitalize on a poor season from their biggest rival, Real Madrid. All signs point that this award is Jorginho's to lose.
3. Precedent
While it definitely cannot be said that Luka Modric and Jorginho are similar in anything other than both being world-class midfielders, the Croatian still set a precedent with his win in 2018. He was also basing his ultimate victory over both former teammate Ronaldo and La Liga rival Messi on international success (World Cup silver medal with Croatia) and on winning the Champions League. Similarly, Jorginho is going to the ceremony ready with his Euro 2020 and Champions League medals to show off as proof of the amazing season he has had.
It also has to be mentioned that, while Modric was truly pulling the strings for the Madrid midfield in both their La Liga and Champions League campaign in 2018, he was not the best player on that roster, nor had the best season. It was Ronaldo, of course, who scored 44 goals in 44 appearances, including a key hat trick and penalty against Juventus in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Also, there is debate about whether the likes of Ivan Perisic or Mario Mandzukic had a better World Cup campaign than Modric for Croatia, even though Modric was included in the Team of the Tournament in the end.
Regardless of whether Modric was really the best in both club or national team play, it can be said that both the Italian national team and Chelsea had squads of equals. Even if someone was pointed out as the best for both, most of the time it would be Jorginho, as many analysts were impressed by the incredible control the Brazilian-born Italian midfielder was able to impose on the field.
Of course, the Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held in December of this year, when the name of the winner will be known. Regardless of that, it can definitely be said that the season Jorginho has had is truly amazing, both in terms of success but also individual brilliance. Even if he does not end up winning the award, this season will be remembered as the true definition of the word “masterclass.”
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