Greetings World of Football,
The reward was discontinued in 2020, but the world's greatest players are vying for the coveted individual honor once more.
The Ballon d'Or is returning after being postponed until 2020, with the world's best footballers vying for the sport's highest individual honor.
The 2021 award shortlist has been revealed, with 29 players joining 2019 winner Lionel Messi as candidates.
So, based on the competitors' past accomplishments as well as projections for what will most likely happen in 2021, who has the greatest clout in this year's race?
I put the runners and riders in order below.
20th Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
In 2021, he scored 22 goals and had six assists. Won the Copa America and Serie A championships.
While Lautaro will not be among the top candidates for the Ballon d'Or this year, do not count out the 24-year-old contending for the award in the next five or six years.
19th Phil Foden (Manchester City)
In 2021, he'll have 13 goals and 10 assists. Won both the Premier League and the Carabao Cup.
Despite missing the first few weeks of the season, Foden has lost no time in reminding everyone of his potential with his club and country performances.
Although his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or were all but over after a lackluster performance in the latter rounds of Euro 2020, it was encouraging to see him join the 30-man shortlist.
18th Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
In 2021, he has 26 goals and five assists.
While there haven't been many classic Salah performances in the first half of 2021, the Egypt star is making sure he puts his imprint on the year before it's all said and done.
The Liverpool forward is probably Europe's most in-form player right now, with his latest goal against Manchester City likely to give him a chance to earn a second Puskas Award at some point.
Salah's lack of championships and a poor start to the year mean he will not be a candidate for the Ballon d'Or this year, but if he maintains his current form into 2022, he may be a serious contender.
17th Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
Neymar scored 14 goals and 14 assists in 2021. Won the Coupe de France and the Champions Trophy.
Given the hype surrounding Neymar's reunion with Lionel Messi at PSG this year, the Brazil international has failed to get off the ground in 2021-22, scoring only one goal - a penalty - in Ligue 1 so far this season.
16th Harry Kane (Tottenham)
In 2021, he scored 32 goals and assisted on five others.
Kane's hangover from leading England to the Euro 2020 final and the ensuing uncertainty over his future has hampered his playing this season, with the Spurs forward unable to score in the Premier League.
15th Mason Mount (Chelsea)
In 2021, he had nine goals and seven assists. Won both the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup.
Mount's value to Chelsea was underscored by their problems against Manchester City and Juventus while he was absent, and considering his trophy-winning exploits from last season, In this year's Ballon d'Or list, he is now in a strong position to be the highest-ranked member of Gareth Southgate's side.
14th Nicolo Barella (Inter)
In 2021, he had six goals and 13 assists. Euro 2020 and Serie A were both won.
This may sound a bit high for a player like Barella, who is virtually generally undervalued outside of die-hard Serie A fans, but at San Siro, the Inter midfielder continues to emerge as one of the greatest in the world in his position.
The 24-year-old was on target in the Azzurri's third-place play-off win over Belgium, despite not being able to assist Italy to add the Nations League trophy to their European Championship.
13th Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
One goal, two assists, and 25 clean sheets in 2021. Won both the Premier League and the Carabao Cup.
It speaks a lot about Dias' ascension that he recently captained Manchester City away at Chelsea, PSG, and Liverpool, even though a lot of knowledgeable onlookers were skeptical.
The Portugal international is a capable leader as well as a defender.
12th Giorgio Chiellini (Italy)
In 2021, he had two assists and nine clean sheets. Euro 2020, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italiana were all won.
Although Italy's inspiring leader at Euro 2020 has not always been a starter for Juventus over the previous 12 months, expect many Ballon d'Or voters to value his summer achievements when voting in the coming weeks.
11th Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain)
In 2021, Donnarumma kept 20 clean sheets and won Euro 2020.
While Donnarumma may not be starting every match for PSG at the moment, his Champions League performance against Man City served as a reminder of how close the Italy goalkeeper is to be the top goalkeeper in the world.
10th Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
He had 12 goals and 14 assists in 2021. Won both the Premier League and the Carabao Cup.
De Bruyne has three goals and three assists in his previous three games for club and country, indicating that he is settling in nicely to the season. However, the Belgium international is still far from his best as he looks to recover from physical issues that plagued him in the second half of 2021.
9th Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
In 2021, Ronaldo scored 35 goals and had four assists. The Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana competitions were won by the team.
Goals against Qatar in friendly matches may not be worthy of the Ballons d'Or, but they do help you cement your reputation as the greatest men's international striker of all time.
8th Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
Haaland scored 41 goals and had 13 assists in 2021. DFB-Pokal was won.
Injuries have slowed Haaland's development following a strong start to the season, and Dortmund will hope that the Norwegian will not be out for long if they are to mount a championship push in Germany.
7th Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
Lukaku scored 30 goals and had eight assists in 2021. Serie A was won.
Lukaku's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or have vanished after his fantastic start to life back at Chelsea dwindled in recent weeks and Belgium lost in the Nations League semi-finals.
Despite this, the striker is having the best year of his career so far.
6th Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Mbappe scored 35 goals and had 14 assists in 2021. Won the UEFA Nations League, the Coupe de France, and the Champions League.
Mbappe showed the world what he's capable of with his Nations League heroics, scoring and assisting in each of Les Bleus' two victories on their approach to collecting the trophy in Italy.
Lifting the trophy, on the other hand, is unlikely to propel him into serious Ballon d'Or contention this season, but it will position him perfectly for a sustained run in 2022.
5th Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Benzema scored 34 goals and had 13 assists in 2021. The UEFA Nations League was won.
Along with Salah, Benzema is probably the most in-form player in the world right now, as his superb curled finish in the Nations League final showed his newfound confidence.
A loud minority continues to advocate for him to win the Ballon d'Or, but despite guaranteeing he finishes the year with a team title, individual honors appear to be a long way off.
4th N'Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Kante has one goal and one assist in 2021. Won both the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup.
Kante's injury troubles are becoming a concern, as the France midfielder has struggled with fitness concerns since the Europa League final in 2019.
When he's on the field, though, he's a standout performance.
3rd Jorginho (Chelsea)
He had a five-goal, two-assist performance in 2021. Won the UEFA Super Cup, the Champions League, and Euro 2020.
Jorginho may not have been able to add the Nations League title to his collection of Euro 2020 and Champions League winners' trophies this season, but he came close. However, he still looks to be on course for a Ballon d'Or podium finish.
If he finishes in the top three, it may not be a popular decision, but voters place a higher value on trophies than they should.
2nd Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Lewandowski scored 50 goals and added eight assists in 2021. Bundesliga, Club World Cup, and DFL-Supercup champions.
According to reports published last week, Lewandowski will receive the 2020 Ballon d'Or during this year's presentation, which was previously canceled because of the epidemic.
If that is the case, the Bayern star would have earned his reward following the finest two years of his career.
1st Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)
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Lionel Messi scored 38 goals and added 14 assists in 2021. Won both the Copa America and the Copa del Rey.
If there were any concerns about Messi's Ballon d'Or prospects because of his sluggish start at PSG, he put them to rest with his incredible performance against Man City before the international break.
In such a thrilling Champions League encounter, creating such a moment was a dream come true. he will almost certainly secure the famous Ballon d'Or award.
Great players by all standard.
I have no doubt if i see one of these players next years title.
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