There was once a time when soccer fans did not care much for the annual Ballon d'Or award. Even as the sport is heading toward the back end of the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era, this award has now become a hotly debated topic among soccer fans.
As in every year, there are a few serious contenders for the Ballon d'Or award followed by a plethora of top-class players who have a viable shot at rounding out the top five in the final vote.
This year is no different.
From current free agent Lionel Messi to even new Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, there are plenty of players who have a golden opportunity to be the odds favorite for this annual honor by the end of the year.
As it stands, here is a forecast at the top five contenders for the 2021 Ballon d'Or.
Ballon d'Or candidates:
5. Gianluigi Donnarumma — Paris Saint-Germain
Most notable achievement in 2021: Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament
Yes, this is a surprise, but Italian and new Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has a quality chance to finish in the top five for the 2021 Ballon d'Or award for several reasons.
For one, Donnarumma shined over the Euro 2020 tournament. From the two clean sheets in the group stage to the heroic saves over the course of the knockout stage, opposing forwards simply had a difficult time scoring against the Azzurri shot-stopper.
Many were surprised to see Donnarumma finish with the Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament award, but this honor was much deserved to him. The former AC Milan goalkeeper delivered for Italy thanks to the multiple decisive saves in the penalty shootout wins against Spain and England.
Winning the Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament award does bode well for Donnarumma's chances of finishing in the top five for the Ballon d'Or. Out of the six previous winners of this award, five of them placed in the top five in the final Ballon d'Or vote. Among them, longtime Borussia Dortmund midfielder Matthias Sammer won the 1996 Ballon d'Or after claiming the Euro 1996 Player of the Tournament award.
One can not count out Donnarumma's key play in Serie A this past season. He took home the Serie A goalkeeper of the season award and also carried AC Milan to a top-four finish in the final league standings after recording five straight clean sheets to cap off the campaign.
Sure, the likes of Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Kevin De Bruyne have had pivotal performances this year. But considering that Donnarumma will be taking part in key Ligue 1, UEFA Champions League group stage, and UEFA Nations League finals fixtures later this year, the Italian goalkeeper has what it takes to boost his chances at a possible top five finish for this award.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo — Juventus
Most notable achievement in 2021: Euro 2020 Golden Boot
Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has so far not been at his usual best over the calendar year. Ronaldo most notably failed to score in the UEFA Champions League and Euro 2020 knockout stages. Still, he has raised the bar of success so high that even his underperformances are considered world-class showings for many other notable goal-scorers.
Overall, Ronaldo currently sits at 26 goals scored in all competitions for Juventus and the Portuguese national team so far this year.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has had multiple key performances along the way, such as the double against Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia knockout stage and the two-goal contribution showing against Germany in the Euro 2020 group stage.
Barring any notable injury, Ronaldo should well finish the year with 40-plus goals scored, which would only bolster his chances of picking up top three votes from the Ballon d'Or voters.
3. Kylian Mbappe — Paris Saint-Germain
Most notable achievement in 2021:Most goals scored in the 2020-2021 UEFA Champions League knockout stage (six)
Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe had a golden opportunity to emerge as the clear-cut favorite for the 2021 Ballon d'Or award over the Euro 2020 tournament. However, he squandered such a chance, as he finished the tournament with a mere one assist and also wasted multiple high-percentage goal-scoring chances.
Mbappe's chances at winning the Ballon d'Or this year might be over with considering that there are two players with much more impressive resumes. Still, the French forward has a feasible chance at a top-three finish considering his performances so far for PSG this year.
Sure, PSG failed to win Ligue 1 this past season, but the blame should be nowhere near Mbappe for this catastrophic failure. Even as the likes of Neymar and Marco Verratti missed time due to injury, the French forward was there delivering key performances in league play, which included the key league goals against the likes of Olympique de Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais.
Of course, one can not forget about Mbappe's massive goals against FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage.
It will be interesting to see just where the Ballon d'Or voters end up placing Mbappe in the final vote, but he sure has a shot at topping out in the top five.
2. Robert Lewandowski — Bayern Munich
Most notable achievement in 2021: Breaking the record for most goals in a single Bundesliga season
It is a shame that France Football elected not to hand out the Ballon d'Or last year, as Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski would have won the award for the first time in his career.
This year, Lewandowski is once again among the top favorites for this annual honor — and for good reason.
As usual, Lewandowski has had his way in Bundesliga play. The Polish striker has so far scored in all but one Bundesliga match this year. Most notably, he notched a late score in Bayern's season finale against FC Augsburg, which gave him the record for most goals scored in a single Bundesliga campaign.
Look for Lewandowski to be a top contender to finish the upcoming 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League group stage with the most goals scored, which would further help to establish a place for him to at the least finish in second place for the 2021 Ballon d'Or award.
1. Lionel Messi — Argentina national team (club free agent)
Most notable achievement in 2021: Winning the 2021 Copa America
To not much of a surprise, Argentina national team forward Lionel Messi is the top contender for the 2021 Ballon d'Or.
Messi has simply been a menace to opposing defenses in all competitions this year. The longtime Barcelona forward has so far recorded a combined 33 goals for Barcelona and the Argentina national team this year, which include the top-class, long-distance score against PSG in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
Messi's Ballon d'Or odds received a much-needed boost after he helped Argentina claim a Copa America win. As expected, the Argentine led the way with nine goal contributions over the tournament, with four of them coming in the knockout stage.
Unless one of the other contenders for this award ends up stringing together world-class performances on a game-by-game basis over the remainder of the year, Messi should well win the Ballon d'Or for the seventh time in his career. This would certainly fuel the debate on just who is the greatest soccer player of all-time.
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