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The Ballon d'Or is without doubt the most prestigious individual prize in football. It is awarded by French news magazine 'France Football' to honour the best performing footballer across a calendar year.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the Ballon d'Or race in recent years
The Ballon d'Or winner is picked on the basis of a combination of votes from journalists, national team captains and coaches. Lionel Messi is the player with the most number of Ballon d'Or wins in history. The Argentina international has won the award a record six times.
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He is followed closely by his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has five to his name. In the past 12 editions of the award, only Luka Modric has been able to beat Messi and Ronaldo to the award.
The Ballon d'Or was canceled last year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic but it is all set to take place later this year. The race for the Ballon d'Or has been blown wide open and we have plenty of worthy contenders.
But here today, we take a look at five of the best players who are unlikely to make it to the top five of the Ballon d'Or race this year.
#5 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema has been on fire in the 2021-22 season up until now. The Frenchman has been in sublime form, scoring 10 goals and registering seven assists in just 10 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid.
He also justified his call up to the France national side after six years by scoring four goals in four appearances at Euro 2020. However, Real Madrid went trophyless in the 2020-21 season for the first time after 11 years.
France's early exit from the European championship has greatly hampered Benzema's chances too. Otherwise he would have been a very serious contender this year. Benzema scored 30 goals and provided nine assists in 46 appearances across all competitions for Los Blancos in the 2020-21 season.
#4 Erling Haaland (Norway/Borussia Dortmund)
Borussia Dortmund's goalscoring machine Erling Haaland has firmly established himself as one of the finest strikers in the world. The 21-year-old is a prolific striker and is arguably the most sought-after player in the world right now.
In the 2020-21 season, Haaland scored 41 goals and provided 12 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions. He also won the DFB Pokal with Borussia Dortmund last term.
He has got off to a great start in the 2021-22 season as well, scoring 11 goals and four assists in eight appearances across all competitions so far. However, Norway failed to qualify for Euro 2020 and as a result, Haaland had a quiet summer.
A lack of major trophies will prevent the youngster from cracking the top 5 in the Ballon d'Or race this time.
#3 Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
It was all going so well for Kylian Mbappe a little more than halfway through the 2020-21 season. The 22-year-old was in prime goalscoring form and was a standout performer for Paris Saint-Germain as they cruised to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
He scored a hat-trick against Barcelona in the Round of 16 before bagging a brace as PSG eliminated Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. However, they suffered a shock exit at the hands of an excellent Manchester City side. They also lost out in the Ligue 1 title race to Lille.
Mbappe had an underwhelming outing at Euro 2020 as well. He registered just a single assist in four appearances in the tournament as France crashed out in the Round of 16. Mbappe had scored 42 goals and provided 11 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions for PSG last term.
He won the Coupe de France & Trophee des Champions with PSG but unfortunately, those trophies don't hold much weight. As a result, Mbappe is likely to finish outside the top 5 in the 2021 Ballon d'Or race.
#2 Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City)
Kevin De Bruyne was one of Manchester City's most important players as they won the Premier League title and the League Cup in the 2020-21 season. He was also influential in City reaching the final of the UEFA Champions League, though he was forced off in the game after suffering a facial injury.
De Bruyne and City came so close to an elusive Champions League title but ended up finishing just short. The Belgian midfield lynchpin couldn't inspire his team further than the quarter-final of Euro 2020 where they lost to eventual champions Italy.
The 29-year-old was one of Belgium's best players at the tournament, scoring a goal and providing two assists in four appearances. In 40 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City in the 2020-21 season, De Bruyne scored 10 goals and provided 18 assists.
He was also chosen as the PFA Players' Player of the Year for the 2020-21 season. While the Premier League title and League Cup are both major wins, he just doesn't have a good enough record to break into the top 5 of the Ballon d'Or race.
#1 Romelu Lukaku (Belgium/Chelsea)
When Romelu Lukaku left Manchester United in the summer of 2019, several facets of his game were heavily criticized. However, the Belgian international refused to give up and honed his skills under the tutelage of Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte.
He soon burgeoned into one of the best strikers in Europe and was arguably Inter Milan's best player as they won the Scudetto in the 2020-21 season. Lukaku scored 30 goals and provided 10 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions for the Nerazzurri last term.
The bullish striker was one of Belgium's best players at Euro 2020, scoring four goals in five appearances. However, with the Serie A title being the only major trophy he won last term, Lukaku's chances of cracking the top 5 in the Ballon d'Or race are slim
