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#3 Alphonso Davies
If recording the fastest speed on the football pitch was a criteria for winning the Ballon d'Or, Alphonso Davies would have the award on display at home already. Last year, he gave us a teaser of his true potential and it left football fans in awe of the 21 year-old.
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A great dribbler of the ball and comfortable while moving with it at pace, Davies loves to take on defenders one-on-one. His average position over the course of 90 mins is sometimes in the opposition half and he is ridiculously effective in the final-third.
The Canadian star was included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2020 at the age of 20 and that goes on to show that he can challenge for the Ballon d'Or in the future. His stats don't justify the glorious football he plays. He was a crucial part of Bayern Munich's treble-winning side in 2019-20.
The longer he remains associated with the Bavarians, the more chances he has of collecting trophies and staying in the race to win the Ballon d'Or. In his 28 appearances for Canada, Davies has been absolutely prolific producing 10 goals and 16 assists.
#2 Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold is so often regarded as the best right-back in the Premier League and certainly one of the best in Europe. The Englishman is not short of fans and admirers who would love to see him win the Ballon d'Or. He belongs to a rare breed of defenders who bring creativity in excess to a team.
He does not get bored of firing in crosses and sending in passes from the wide-right side while strolling beyond the halfway-line. He has produced many moments of quality from dead-ball situations as well.
Alexander-Arnold was unlucky to miss out on the England side that finished as runners-up at Euro 2020 due to injury.
The 23-year old has shown before that he can produce a season that satisfies the criteria for the Ballon d'Or. 16 assists and one goal in 40 matches in Liverpool's Champions League-winning 2018-19 campaign saw Alexander-Arnold burst onto the scene.
He followed up the 2019-20 season with four goals and 13 assists in 38 Premier League matches. For reference, in Luka Modric's 2018 Ballon d'Or winning campaign, the No.10 scored two goals and provided nine assists in 43 matches.
The Reds continue to look formidable under Jurgen Klopp and as long as their chances of winning silverware don't die, the right-back's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or won't. Alexander-Arnold made the shortlist in 2019 and in the future he will only move closer to the award.
#1 Ruben Dias
If Jose Mourinho calls you the best centre-back in the world and you win the Premier League Player of the Season award in your first season, you are indeed special. Ballon d'Or winning special? Certainly, Ruben Dias cannot be left behind in the list of defenders who have the potential to win the Ballon d'Or.
The defender came from SL Benfica and settled at Manchester City without fretting one bit. He understood the responsibility and delivered on expectations game after game. With Dias commanding the back-line, City reached their first Champions League final albeit losing to Chelsea back in May.
The Portuguese has been a colossal figure for Manchester City and has even worn the captain's armband on a few occasions. In the 50 appearances he made for City last season, they kept a clean sheet in 25 of them.
Not afraid to go shoulder to shoulder with anyone, the defender shows great confidence in his tackles and his anticipation helps him make crucial interceptions. He has been important for City in aerial duels and clears the threat in the air quite effectively. With him in the team, Man City's winning rate last season was 78 per cent.
Dias has made the cut to the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or 2021, but his chances of a podium finish are non-existent. However, Dias certainly has the potential to knock on the doors for the Ballon d'Or in the future.
