Ballon D’or 2021 nominees from De Bruyne to Lewandowski; check out who makes the cut

By
Jehan Mucadum
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Ballon D’or 2021: The race for the Ballon D’or 2021 was electrifying with a number of brilliant performances having panned out in the year.

The 2020 Ballon D’or was not awarded due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, this season’s top prize becomes ever so important.

From club to international success, there have been a number of candidates vying for the top prize and we will give you a sneak peek into their performances.

We selected a top 5 Ballon D’or 2021 nomination category which includes players who lit up the season through the immaculate performances.

N’Golo Kanté

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The Frenchman was at the peak of his powers in the season gone by for the Blues as he helped them register their 2nd ever UEFA Champions League title.

N’Golo Kanté was ever present for the Blues and played 30 of the 38 matches in the Premier League and assisted 2 goals.

Chelsea’s mid-fielder in general was ever present and put in tireless performances which aided Chelsea finish 4th in the EPL as well.

Kanté was a man on a mission especially in the UCL part of the season where he stepped up in almost all the big matches for Chelsea.

In particular, his performances in the 1st leg of the Semi-final vs Real Madrid and the Final were the cherry on top of the cake which assured he deserves a mention in the best player of the season category.

Chelsea missed out on the FA Cup final where they lost to Leicester but an invaluable Kanté deserves to be nominated for the Ballon D’Or 2021.

Kevin De Bruyne

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Another mid-fielder was at the top of his form in the season gone by and deserved a nomination for the Ballon D’or.

Kevin had an incredible season as he helped Manchester City to yet another EPL title and the EFL Cup as well.

In 40 matches, De Bruyne scored 10 goals and provided 18 assists in City’s domestic campaign.

He sadly missed out in the UCL final against City due to injury, but was invaluable for Pep Guardiola.

The Belgian helped his national side to a Quarter-final in the recently concluded Euro 2020 as well.

Kevin made impactful contributions in the competition scoring once and creating 2 goals in 4 appearances.

His intelligence, ability to find the hotspots and make things happen are the aces up his sleeve.

Hence, the Manchester City player remains a top nomination for the 2021 award.

Jorginho

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The Italian mid-fielder was one of the other top performers this season as he lifted the UEFA Champions League and Euro 2020 with Chelsea and Italy respectively.

Jorginho was the focal point of Italy’s attacks and held his calm in the center of the park.

Likewise, he was the key player for Thomas Tuchel’s side with 8 goals and 2 assists from 43 appearances for the Blues.

He even scored the decisive spot kick in the semi-final win over Spain.

With the success at Euro 2020, he entered the elite list of lifting the UCL and Euro title in the same season.

Chelsea’s bona fide and trusted man remains a clever operator and could win the top prize.

Robert Lewandowski

Also read: Lewandowski 41 goals: Lewandowski scores 41st goal of the season, breaks Gerd Müller’s 50 year old record

Bayern Munich’s very own Robert Lewandowski is a threat to the Ballon D’or 2021 due to his magical performance in 2020/21.

Lewandowski hit the jackpot in the Bundesliga as he broke the 49-year-old record of Gerd Müller when he scored 41 goals for the Bavarians in the league.

Robert scored 48 times in 40 matches as he helped Bayern to the Bundesliga title. This was probably the best of Lewandowski in a long time.

The striker was immaculate, consistent and never looked out of form.

In the Euro 2020, he was Poland’s top scorer with 3 goals from 3 matches; but it couldn’t help them as the Poles were dumped out at the Group stage.

Lewandowski has a fair shot at winning the prize this time.

Lionel Messi

Also read: 3 reasons why Messi is now favorite to win a 7th Ballon D’or| Check out 

The Argentina and Barcelona captain remains frontrunner to lift the Ballon D’or 2021.

His exploits at the Catalan Club were top notch as he was the club and the league top scorer once again this season.

Add to that, the phenomenal success in Brazil where he led his side in lifting the Copa America championship.

Messi was the man of the tournament and deservedly so lifted his first major trophy with the national side.

It was a long time coming but the number 10 made it happen through his supreme skill and intelligence exhibited through the competition.

If Messi picks up the Ballon D’or, it would be a mindboggling 7th trophy.


       

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