The 2021 Ballon d’Or award has a lot of strong contenders. Many players have shown remarkable consistency in the last year including some youngsters too. Since France Football announced the 30 nominees for the award, there has been a lot of talks as to who might win this prestigious award. The 2021 Ballon d’Or winner will be announced on November 29. So, let’s look at the five records that are likely to be made depending on who wins the marvelous award:
Jorginho
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The Italian midfielder has been in flying form for the last two seasons. He has played important role in Italy’s 2020 Euro-winning campaign and was also a part of Chelsea’s unexpected 2020/21 Champions League triumph. Jorginho was one of five Italian players to make it into the Euro 2020 team of the tournament and was a vital part of Chelsea’s Champions League-winning squad. And with this, Jorginho has been one of the strong contenders to win Ballon D’or this year.
If he manages to win the Ballon d’Or this year, he will become the first Chelsea player ever to achieve this prestigious award. He could also become the sixth Italian to win it and the second Italian this century after Fabio Cannavaro.
Mohammad Salah
Salah has been in terrific form for the last few months. He has scored 18 Premier League goals this season in 12 matches. Recently, Liverpool star scored his 100th goal in the Premier League against Leeds on September 12 at the Elland Road and became the fifth-fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals.
Salah has been consistent and in red hot form since arriving at Anfield in the summer of 2017. He scored 32 goals in his debut campaign in 2017/18 – a record tally of goals for individual players in the Premier League era. In 2018/19, he netted 22 goals, followed by 19 goals in 2019/20 and 22 in the last campaign. If he ends up winning 2021 Ballon d’Or, Salah would only be the second Liverpool player to achieve the feat after Michael Owen in 2001.
Robert Lewandoski
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Easily, one of the best strikers in the world currently. He is well known for his goal-scoring ability, positioning, and finishing too. Overall, he is a complete package. Also, one of the most successful players in Bundesliga history.
He was awarded the Best Men’s FIFA player 2020. He also scored three goals in three matches at Euro 2020.
Robert Lewandowski was in a flying form in the season 2020-21. He scored whopping 48 goals from 40 appearances across all competitions for Bayern Munich this season. Robert played a key role in Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga winning campaign. He also won his first European Golden Shoe award.
If Robert Lewandowski wins 2021 Ballon d’Or, then he’ll become the first Polish player ever to achieve this feat. He will also become the fourth Bayern Munich player to do so and the first Bundesliga player to win it this decade.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times in his career. The 36-year-old was in great form in the Euro 2020. He scored 5 goals in just 4 matches and won the Golden Boot award for the top goal-scorer at the 2021 European Championships. He also won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana but the defeats in Serie A and the Champions League could go against in Ballo D’or rankings.
Ronaldo won the Serie A Golden Boot this season. He ended the league campaign with 29 goals, winning the Capocannoniere award for the highest goalscorer and becoming the first footballer to finish as top scorer in the English, Spanish, and Italian leagues. Ronaldo scored 36 goals and provided four assists in 44 appearances across all competitions for Juventus.
If Ronaldo wins his sixth Ballon d’Or, then he’ll become the first-ever Premier League player to win the award twice. He will also become the eighth Portuguese player to win the award.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi, one of the greatest players to have played the game has won the marvelous award six times. The top goalscorer in La Liga, Messi was announced as the winner of the Pichichi trophy for a record eighth time in his career in the season 2020-21. It was also a record fifth consecutive win in La Liga.
The 34-year-old recently won his international trophy with Argentina at the Copa Aerica 2021. He was the best player at Copa America, winning both the Golden Ball and the Best Player award. Messi scored four goals and provided five assists in seven appearances. Currently, Messi is the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or award for the 7th time in his career.
If he wins the 2021 Ballon d’Or, then he will be the first-ever player to win it while playing for Paris Saint-Germain. He will also become the second Ligue 1 player to win it after Jean-Pierre Papin did it for Marseille in 1991. This will also be the first time in his career, Messi will be winning a Ballon d’Or away from Barcelona.
