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After tremendous speculation and rumors, Lionel Messi indeed won the 2021 Ballon d'Or.
He was awarded his record-extending seventh Golden Ball on Monday, narrowly edging out Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski.
Jorginho finished third despite winning the biggest prizes with club and country, while Messi's great rival Cristiano Ronaldo finished outside the top three for the first time since 2010.
The final rankings of the top 30 nominations were released in three sets of 10 each.
Here's a look at the market values of each player who finished inside the top 10 rankings for Ballon d'Or 2021: (All market values obtained from Transfermarkt).
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#10 Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy) - €65 million
Gianluigi Donnarumma has been consistently impressive for club and country for many years but this was the first time he broke into the Ballon d'Or's top 10 rankings.
It's a testement to his ever-increasing stock, finishing the 2020-21 Serie A season with the joint-most clean sheets (14) and then playing an integral role in Italy's Euro 2020 triumph.
However, he did win the Lev Yashin award for the best goalkeeper of the year.
#9 Kylian Mbappe (PSG/France) - €160 million
The most valuable player on the list (and in world football) could only secure a ninth-place finish at the Ballon d'Or this year. But he's had a far from disappointing year individually.
Sure, the PSG starlet was a damp squib at Euro 2020, but he redeemed himself by guiding France to the UEFA Nations League title later in the year, and has a goal-contribution of 69 for club and country.
#8 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/Belgium) - €100 million
Premier League's greatest playmaking wizard of the modern era, Kevin De Bruyne has struggled to hit the throttle in the 2021-22 season. However, he was in a league of his own in the first half of the calendar year.
He was at the heart of Manchester City's league title success, their fourth in the last five years, and powered them to their first-ever Champions League final in May.
#7 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/Egypt) - €100 million
Liverpool's atrocious run in the second half of the 2020-21 season definitely affected Mohamed Salah's Ballon d'Or chances, although individually, he was fine as ever.
In the 2021-22 season, he's pushed his game up a few notches, netting 17 times in 18 games in all competitions, whilst making seven more assists to power his side's renewed title aspirations.
#6 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United/Portugal) - €45 million
Cristiano Ronaldo made his lowest finish in the Ballon d'Or rankings since 2010, coming only sixth after the final tally. But he's had a more successful year than what it seems.
Top-scorer at Euro 2020. Serie A Golden Boot. Broke Ali Daei's long-time international record of 109 goals. Coppa Italia and Italian Supercup trophies.
Still want to think he's had a disappointing year?
#5 N'Golo Kante (Chelsea/France) - €55 million
If there was a 'Humble d'Or' award for the game's most humble players, N'Golo Kante would've won it every year by a country mile. At the 2021 Ballon d'Or, though, he came fifth. Not bad either.
The Frenchman played a crucial role in helping Chelsea to the Champions League title in May whilst being ever-present in their Premier League endeavors.
#4 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/France) - €25 million
Karim Benzema's accomplishments in 2021 are grossly underrated.
He's scored 16 goals and made 12 assists in 18 games this season. He's made his best-ever start to a La Liga campaign, while helping France to the Nations League title with goals in both the semi-finals and final.
He was also their top-scorer at Euro 2020 with four goals, winning the Silver Boot. And yet Benzema only finished fourth.
#3 Jorginho (Chelsea/Italy) - €45 million
Jorginho enjoyed arguably the best year of his career, winning both the Champions League and Euro 2020 in the same season, a feat matched only by a select few players in history.
He was at the heart of both successes, delivering top performances in midfield to later win the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award.
#2 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Poland) - €60 million
Nothing could possibly justify Robert Lewandowski's snub. He was cruelly denied the Ballon d'Or in 2020 after it was inexplicably scrapped. Despite having another fine year, the Pole missed out on the prize again.
He's the leading goalscorer of the 2021 calendar year with 62 goals for club and country, lifted two titles, won the Bundesliga Golden Boot, and broke countless records along the way.
What more could he possibly have done?
#1 Lionel Messi (PSG/Argentina) - €80 million
Lionel Messi extended his Ballon d'Or record after winning it for the seventh time, although the margin between him and Lewandowski was really close.
It was a memorable year for the PSG ace, who finally got the monkey off his back by lifting his first international trophy, the 2021 Copa America, where he was also the top-scorer and the top assist-maker.
He couldn't guide Barcelona to a La Liga title in his final season at the club, but he led them to the Copa Del Rey and finished the 2020-21 La Liga season as the most prolific with 30 goals.
