Ballon d'Or 2021: Chelsea star Jorginho names 2 players he would vote for the top prize 

The race for the Ballon d'Or 2021 award is heating up and Chelsea star Jorginho is one of the frontrunners for the prestigious individual prize. Winner of the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea and the Euro 2020 tournament with Italy, Jorginho has had a stunning year.

Speaking to the Italian press, Chelsea star Jorginho snubbed the likes of Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski when asked about his choices for the Ballon d'Or award:

“I would vote in Ballon D’Or for Kante or De Bruyne. Talking to other defenders from big teams, De Bruyne requires much more attention than players that win every year the prize”

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated the Ballon d'Or award in the last decade with only Luka Modric breaking the duopoly in 2018. Goalscorers are usually the frontrunners for the award, but the likes of Jorginho, N'Golo Kante and Kevin De Bruyne are all expected to finish in the top 10.

One of the best midfielders of this generation, Kevin De Bruyne played a crucial role in Manchester City's brilliant 2020/21 season. A complete midfielder, De Bruyne even won the PFA Premier League Player of the Year award in 2021 for his brilliant performances.

Chelsea duo of Jorginho and Kante join Messi and Lewandowski as top contenders for the Ballon d'Or award

Lionel Messi is one of the favorites to win the Ballon d'Or award

Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski are the frontrunners for the prestigious individual prize. Messi played a starring role in Argentina's Copa America triumph while Lewandowski's goalscoring numbers for Bayern Munich have been simply phenomenal over the last few months.

Other contenders for the Ballon d'Or include Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. Neither of them may have won any major trophies, but their individual brilliance certainly makes them contenders for the top prize.

The Chelsea duo of Jorginho and Kante also have a chance of claiming the award. While N'Golo Kante was the star man in Chelsea's historic UEFA Champions League triumph last season, no one has won more team trophies and accolades than Jorginho in 2021.

Chelsea's Jorginho with UEFA Men's Player of the Year award

The Italian midfielder even won the UEFA Player of the Year award earlier this year and could well end up being a surprise winner when the results are announced on November 29th in Paris.

While Jorginho, Kante, Kevin De Bruyne, Karim Benzema and Mohamed Salah have all been brilliant this year, the top 2 positions for the Ballon d'Or is expected to be closely contested between Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.