FIFA has recently announced the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or 2021 award, featuring highly successful football superstars from across the globe, including Lionel Messi.
Some of the most notable nominees are Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, N'Golo Kante, and Jorginho. All of these players were nominated for a reason, as 2021 witnessed exceptional displays and glorious achievements from each of them. The Ballon d'Or is football's most prestigious individual award, equivalent to MVP titles in other sports.
Messi and Ronaldo have won the award the most among the nominees, respectfully with six and five trophies. But with Ronaldo's complex situation at Juventus to start the year, for now, the Portuguese doesn't really have an edge in vying for the award.
Messi seems to be the clear favorite, successfully garnering his first major international trophy by winning the Copa America title this year. The Argentinian had an insane performance during the tournament, scoring four goals and contributing five assists. Apart from goals and assists, Messi's numbers speak volumes on how impactful his campaign was. The skipper logged 21 chances created and registered an accuracy of 81.02 percent, completing 239 passes.
When it comes to club performance, Messi's impact is second to none. He carried an inexperienced FC Barcelona squad to win the most recent Copa Del Rey trophy, proving that the club's current struggle primarily stems from his departure.
Based on the list of nominees, who serves as the biggest threat to Messi's chances of winning?
Analyzing Chelsea's favorites
Jorginho and Kante are consistently mentioned as strong candidates for the award. Apart from having brilliant individual seasons, the pair have successfully won the UEFA Champions League trophy over Premier League Champions Manchester City.
Throughout the year, Kante has had his own shining moments by having critical performances during the latter rounds of the Champions League— especially in the Final. The French midfielder is known to have a lasting influence on the pitch, defending consistently while creating multiple attacking scenarios for the team.
Apart from gaining massive hype from fans, Jorginho seems confident that he deserves the award. However, he does stress the level of ability that other football stars possess.
Via Metro
“We all have dreams. But, I’ll be honest, it depends on the criteria that the decision is based on.”
‘If we’re talking about talent then I know I’m not the best in the world. But if it’s going on titles, then nobody has won more than I have this season.”
What Jorginho said is nothing but true; Italy recently won the UEFA Euro 2020 title with Jorginho playing heavy minutes. In addition to his success with Chelsea, the Italian recently bagged the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award.
No one can deny that these two midfielders performed during a tremendous season for the Blues, but what makes Chelsea's title run special is that different players had a chance to shine on their own. Players like Edouard Mendy and Mason Mount had breakout seasons, contributing to the team's immense performance.
While it's normal for players like Kante and Jorginho to have ups and downs throughout a season, none of their overall performances can be considered a ‘hard carry.' Chelsea's success is rooted in their teamwork, and it is also valid to say that Thomas Tuchel's arrival played a massive role in that.
Both Jorginho and Kante deserve to be mentioned in discussions of the award, but to consider them winning it all is just too much.
Lewandowski's search for glory
The year 2020 was indeed difficult for football. COVID-19's effects were rampantly felt across the sport's atmosphere, players experienced significant difficulties in competing during this time, and fans were robbed from witnessing the beauty of live matches.
Aside from that, a certain Robert Lewandowski was robbed in 2020 too, as FIFA decided to cancel the award. From winning the Bundesliga and Champions League in 2020, Bayern Munich's number 9 managed to score 63 goals and contribute 12 assists across all competitions during the 2019/2020 season.
Lewandowski didn't stop there; the Polish striker scored 51 goals and bagged ten assists a year after. Like Lionel Messi, his monster numbers translated to the team's success as Bayern won their ninth-straight Bundesliga crown.
For such dominating numbers, matched up with team success, robbing Lewandowski of the award can be unfair— given the man's contribution to the sport.
What hurts Lewandowski's chances would be the success garnered in international competition; Poland has not won any international trophy in recent memory, as they struggle to compete with stacked European national teams.
The Polish goal-scoring machine shared his thoughts on the possibility of winning while explaining the magnitude of his achievements in the last two years.
Via Marca
“The possibility of winning the Ballon d'Or means a lot to me, it makes me feel proud, if you look at everything I've achieved, not just this year, last year as well when they cancelled the ceremony, I've won a lot of titles, scored a lot of goals.”
“It would mean a lot to me to win it, having won the Champions League, the Super Cup, the Club World Cup. Breaking Gerd Muller's record of 41 Bundesliga goals was also a big achievement, one which made me very proud and happy. Everyone can see what I have done and keep doing.”
“My achievements speak for themselves because my last two years have been a big achievement, not just for me but for any player in history,” Lewandowski stressed.
Lionel Messi can be considered the front runner for the Ballon d'Or, but the scenario of Lewandowski winning is a fair prediction.
The Polish striker is already considered an all-time great, and bagging the award further cements his legacy in football's history. After all, based on these last two seasons, Robert Lewandowski truly deserves to win the Ballon d'Or.
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