Ballon d'Or 2021: 'A special one' – Who are the stars backing out of Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi and Co?
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ByEurosport
Updated 04/11/2021 at 13:33 GMT
Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi, Jorginho, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the players being backed to win the Ballon d’Or in 2021, with each boasting backing from at least one giant in the football world. Bailey Keogh digs into what is being said about the favourites ahead of this year’s gala in Paris on November 28 - the first time the event has been held since 2019.
Five of the candidates for the 2021 Ballon d'Or
Image credit: Eurosport
The men’s Ballon d’Or winner will be crowned later this year at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris and it is set to be one of the most unpredictable outcomes the award has seen in recent times.
The prestigious honour controversially took a year’s hiatus in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which angered a lot of fans as Robert Lewandowski seemed a certainty to win the award.
However, this year is much more open with more contenders emerging after having excellent seasons, which has created a division between fans within the footballing world.
And it isn’t just the fans who are split in their opinion, as the world’s elite football figures are also differing with their selection of who should win the Ballon d’Or.
Bailey Keogh looks at the famous faces who are backing the leading contenders...
Robert Lewandowski
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Robert Lewandowski
Image credit: Getty Images
Despite Lewandowski’s disappointment at not being crowned the winner for 2020, his performances over the last year have still made him the frontrunner to win the award this time around.
He scored 41 goals in 29 Bundesliga games last season which broke Gerd Muller’s 49-year record and this also meant that he was the top scorer out of every other player in Europe.
He also broke a club record for scoring in 19 consecutive matches for Bayern, which has led to his manager, Julian Nagelsmann, making him the clear favourite for the award.
"I can't think of anyone else deserving the award like he does after he over the past years continuously delivered goals," he said.
That is what makes him a special one. He is without any doubt the world's best striker.
The Polish striker had a record breaking year in 2020 and was the main attacking threat as Bayern Munich went on to win five trophies, with Lewandowski scoring 40 goals in the process.
Due to the cancellation of the award last year, Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne believes the award should be judged over the last two seasons which puts the 33-year-old striker head and shoulders above any competitor.
“If I had to choose myself personally, I'm going to look at a two-year period, because we didn't have anyone [last year],” he added.
“I'd choose Lewandowski for what he has done in the last two years - goalscoring wise, and also he's won a lot with Bayern. He would be my pick.”
The Bayern Munich striker didn’t just perform at club level as he also excelled for Poland, scoring nine goals in 11 appearances this year, including three at Euro 2020.
It is due to this that Lewandowski believes that he should be lifting the award.
“Collectively and individually I don’t think I could have done more,” he said.
“I proved that I’m a player who thinks about the Ballon d’Or.”
Lionel Messi
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Argentina's Lionel Messi is thrown into the air by teammates after winning the Conmebol 2021 Copa America football tournament final match against Brazil at Maracana
Image credit: Getty Images
Lewandowki’s biggest rival for the award this year is arguably the greatest player of all time: Lionel Messi.
He is the current holder of the trophy after being crowned the winner in 2019, and after a magnificent year where he played 48 games and scored 40 goals, his former teammate Luis Suarez believes that the Argentine is a no-brainer for the award.
“For the Ballon d'Or, you should not only have to look at what someone has done in a year, but you also have to look at how someone is as a player,” Suarez told Ole.
I believe that Messi has no rival.
Messi won the player of the tournament as Argentina lifted the Copa America for the first time since 1993 and also led Barca to Copa del Rey success.
And Barcelona defender Gerard Pique believes Messi has the all-around factors that makes him deserving of the award.
"I think Leo will win Ballon d’Or for sure,” he told Spanish broadcaster Ibai Llanos on Twitch.
“If it's valuing trophies plus performance plus figures... The winner is also Leo. Leo should have won more than seven times.”
This is a notion that is supported by Messi’s current manager Mauricio Pochettino.
"The Ballon d’Or should go to Messi without any doubt," he told reporters.
"And if I didn’t coach Messi, I would still say Messi. I answer with my heart. I always say what I feel."
Jorginho
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Jorginho was a key man for Italy at the Euros
Image credit: Getty Images
While Messi and Lewandowski are considered to be the standout favourites, Jorginho’s illustrious season has made him a potential contender for the award.
The Italian lifted the Champions League and Euro 2020 in the same season, which makes Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel believe that he should win the trophy.
"Jorginho deserves to win the Ballon d'Or," explained Tuchel.
"He is a very intelligent player and it is a pleasure to be his coach. He has a great vision of football.”
The midfielder was crowned the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year for the 2020/2021 season ahead of Lewandowski and Messi.
Italy manager Roberto Mancini expects Jorginho to comfortably lift the trophy.
He said to reporters via Goal: “They are there because they are good, not because of me.
Jorginho should, in my opinion, win the Ballon d’Or. He has won everything and deserves it a lot. It would seem strange to me otherwise.
Karim Benzema
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Karim Benzema
Image credit: Getty Images
There are other players on the 30-man shortlist who could have an outside chance of winning the Ballon d’Or and one of these players is Karim Benzema.
The 2018 winner Luka Modric believes the Frenchman should be victorious at the ceremony.
“I hope that he wins it because he deserves for how he has played this year and his trajectory,” he said.
“Above all, these recent years. He has always been at a top level. And he has now won a title with France, which is important in these awards. I hope that he wins because he deserves it.”
Benzema scored 30 club goals last season and has had a magnificent start to this season for Real Madrid.
His former manager and World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane is also backing the 33-year-old striker to win the award.
“He deserves to win the Ballon d'Or. He is an incredible player," Zidane told France's Telefoot.
He knows how to do everything on the pitch. He's above the rest. I hope he can be rewarded with this Ballon d'Or.
Cristiano Ronaldo
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Cristiano Ronaldo
Image credit: Getty Images
Despite winning the award five times, Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t considered a favourite to win but has received the backing from footballing great Sir Alex Ferguson.
He said: “Cristiano deserves it, this year he's broken record after record."
The Ballon d’Or winner is set be crowned at a gala event at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris on November 28.
Bailey Keogh
WHO IS NOMINATED FOR THE MEN’S 2021 BALLON D’OR?
- Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
- Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)
- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
- Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)
- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
- Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
- Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
- Phil Foden (Manchester City)
- Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
- Jorginho (Chelsea)
- Harry Kane (Tottenham)
- N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
- Simon Kjaer (AC Milan)
- Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
- Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
- Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
- Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
- Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
- Gerard Moreno (Villarreal)
- Mason Mount (Chelsea)
- Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Pedri (Barcelona)
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
- Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
- Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)
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