Ballon d'Or 2021: Ranking the top 5 favourites - July 2021

#3 N'Golo Kante (Chelsea/France)

Manchester City v Chelsea FC - UEFA Champions League Final

Chelsea star N'Golo Kante was tipped to win the Ballon d'Or 2021 award after putting in some stunning performances in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. However, France's early elimination at the hands of Switzerland and his indifferent performances with the national team has seen him drop to the #3 position.

🧠 Most interceptions at #EURO2020🥇 N'Golo Kante (#FRA) - 14🥈 Jorginho (#ITA) - 11🤷‍♂️ It's a Chelsea thing... pic.twitter.com/FMTohAMWdZ

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 2, 2021

One of the best midfielders of this generation, N'Golo Kante's stamina and ball winning skills are unparalleled and he would have definitely walked away with the Ballon d'Or award if France had won Euro 2020.

With still some time to go for the Ballon d'Or award to be announced, N'Golo Kante could once again make himself the favorite if he starts the new Premier League season with Chelsea in good form.

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#2 Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)

Argentina v Ecuador: Quarterfinal - Copa America Brazil 2021

The 6-time Ballon d'Or winner is arguably just 2 wins away from adding a 7th Ballon d'Or trophy to his collection. Argentina are in the semi-finals of Copa America 2021 and with Lionel Messi in stunning form, this might finally be the year which sees the Argentine maestro win a major international trophy.

Lionel Messi might be a free agent at the moment, but the 34-year-old superstar had a superb 2021 with Barcelona and won La Liga's Golden Boot award comfortably.

🐐 Lionel Messi has been awarded Man of the Match in 25 matches out of 36 matches played in 2021. Here are all his stats for 2021 :36 Games32 Goals11 Assists174 Dribbles84 Key Passes16 Big Chances Created25 MOTMHe has most Goals & assists in 2021 🌎👽 pic.twitter.com/D051ZCN5CG

— AHG (@Heyries) June 30, 2021

At Copa America 2021, Lionel Messi has arguably been the best player and leads the goalscoring charts with 4 goals which include 2 stunning free-kicks. A lot will depend on the next 2 matches for Lionel Messi and Argentina.

If Argentina win the Copa America and Lionel Messi plays a starring role, he will become the overwhelming favorite to win the 2021 Ballon d'Or award.

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#1 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Poland)

FC Bayern Muenchen v FC Augsburg - Bundesliga

Denied the Ballon d'Or award in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Robert Lewandowski has continued his incredible goalscoring form in 2021.

His numbers with Bayern Munich this season are incredible! The Polish superstar scored an astonishing 41 goals in just 29 Bundesliga games to break Gerd Muller's long standing record in the Bundesliga.

Still thinking about the fact that @lewy_official averaged 1.4 goals per game... OVER AN ENTIRE BUNDESLIGA SEASON. 🤯#MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/c6dXH1MvfD

— 🇺🇸 FC Bayern US 🇨🇦 (@FCBayernUS) July 3, 2021

The 32-year-old played a key role in Bayern Munich's Bundesliga title triumph. He unfortunately missed the crucial UEFA Champions League clash against PSG due to an injury as his team crashed out in the quarter-finals this season.

Undoubtedly the best striker in world football at the moment, Robert Lewandowski is currently the favorite to win the Ballon d'Or award in 2021. However, with Euro 2020 and Copa America 2021 ending in a week, we might well have a new favorite for the 2021 Ballon d'Or award in August.

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