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The Ballon d'Or is all set to return after a year's absence and there are several top contenders this time around.
Ballon d'Or is widely viewed as the most coveted individual prize in football. France Football awards the Ballon d'Or to the best exponents of the game based on votes from journalists, national team captains and coaches.
The 2020 edition of the Ballon d'Or was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2019-20 season was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and all institutions were hit in the aftermath. But the 2020-21 season has gone on without much interruption, largely within closed doors.
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There are several individuals this time around who are in with a fair shout in the race for the most prestigious individual prize in football. On that note, let's take a look at Ballon d'Or Power Rankings for the month of February.
#10 Harry Kane
Harry Kane started the new season off brilliantly. The Englishman, who has grown into a well-rounded football over the course of the last few years, has become as adept at playmaking as he is at scoring goals.
Tottenham Hotspur started the season well and that had a lot to do with the kind of form that Kane was in. However, their form has deteriorated over the course of the season and Spurs have had a forgettable month. Kane has not been able to replicate his numbers from the first half of the season in the second.
Kane still has 13 goals and 11 assists from 22 Premier League appearances. His form has dipped a bit in recent weeks and Jose Mourinho will hope that he can get back to his best as soon as possible.
#9 Ilkay Gundogan
Manchester City have been in imperious form of late. They are 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and it looks like it's going to take a mammoth effort to stop them. What's impressive is that Pep Guardiola's team have done so well without having to rely on their strikers.
Aguero has been out injured for a major chunk of the season and Gabriel Jesus has been nowhere near his best. But Manchester City found an unlikely goalscoring outlet in midfielder Ilkay Gundogan who has truly come to his own this season.
The German international has scored 11 goals in 19 Premier League appearances from midfield. He scored four goals in the month of February and did not let City suffer in Kevin De Bruyne's absence. He is one of the dark horses in the Ballon d'Or race this year.
#8 Joshua Kimmich
One of the most versatile midfielders in the world currently, Joshua Kimmich has been sensational for Bayern Munich. Kimmich's passing range is second to none and has thrived in a deep-lying playmaker's role.
The 26-year-old has 13 assists and four goals to his name across all competitions this season so far. He continues to be a vital part of Bayern Munich's midfield. As the season goes on and it's crunch time in the cup competitions, we're expecting to see a lot more from the German who has absolutely thrived under Hansi Flick.
#7 Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes continues to run the show for Manchester United. The midfielder has been prolific for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side and creates just as well as he scores. The 26-year-old has scored a whopping 22 goals and provided 13 assists across all competitions so far this season.
He leads the goals + assists charts in the Premier League right now with 15 goals and 10 assists. What is impressive is that he scores all these goals playing in midfield. The Red Devils have, time and again, relied on his creativity and he has had no trouble delivering since joining in the January transfer window in 2020.
#6 Erling Haaland
At 20-years-old, Erling Haaland is already one of the best strikers on the planet. A goalscoring machine of sorts, Haaland enjoyed a highly prolific month where he was scoring goals for fun.
Haaland has scored a total of 33 goals from 28 games for Borussia Dortmund this season across all competitions. From five matches in February, Haaland scored six goals and racked up two assists as well.
Standing at 194 cms with the build to match, he is a menacing presence in the final third and his finishing is already top-notch. Several European giants are monitoring him and there will be an intense battle in the summer to secure his services.
#5 Romelu Lukaku
The bullish Inter Milan striker has been leading Inter Milan's Serie A title charge from the front. Having scored 28 goals from 35 appearances for both club and country this season, Romelu Lukaku has silenced his critics after his failure at Manchester United.
When he's on song, there's very little the defenders can do against Lukaku. He has pace to burn and can keep ahold of the ball thanks to his physicality. Lukaku's reading of the game and his movement has improved and the Nerazzuri have benefitted from it greatly.
Inter Milan are starting to pull away from the chasing pack in the Serie A and in their last two outings against AC Milan and Lazio, Lukaku scored three goals and bagged two assists, delivering the goods on the big occasion when the team needed him to.
#4 Lionel Messi
It took a while for Lionel Messi to hit his stride this season. Barcelona struggled in the first half of the 2020-21 campaign and their improvement in form has coincided with that of Lionel Messi's.
Messi is currently the top scorer in the La Liga, having scored 18 goals from 22 appearances so far. Though the Argentine has been in great form of late, Barcelona had a largely forgettable February.
They are almost certain to be knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the Round of 16 stage after suffering a 4-1 defeat in the first leg at home against Paris Saint-Germain. They also did not make the most of their chance to close the gap with Atletico Madrid who are on top of the La Liga table.
But across seven appearances in February, Lionel Messi has scored seven goals and picked up an assist. Messi winning the Ballon d'Or will also depend on Barcelona winning titles and that seems a bit of a reach at this point in time.
#3 Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe scored a brilliant hat-trick at the Camp Nou against Barcelona in Paris Saint-Germain's UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie. It looks like the successor to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has well and truly arrived.
There are not many footballers who are as menacing as the Frenchman is. With his blistering pace and bag of tricks, Mbappe is a nightmare to defend against. He has been clocking incredible numbers ever since he broke onto the big stage and even this season, his productivity has been on another level altogether.
Mbappe has scored 23 goals from 34 games for club and country and has also picked up 10 assists. Save for the match against Barcelona, Mbappe did not have a great February but we all know what the youngster is capable of and maybe he can top it off with a couple of titles and truly make a case for the Ballon d'Or this term.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is living proof is that age is just a number. He turned 36 in February but that has not affected his effectiveness. Juventus have been reliant on Cristiano Ronaldo for goals and the Portuguese has not disappointed.
Ronaldo is the top scorer in the Serie A presently, having scored 18 goals in 19 appearances. He has scored a total of 27 goals from 33 appearances so far this season for both club and country. Ronald also has four assists to his name.
He scored five goals in the month of February including two braces against Inter Milan and Crotone. What he has lost in pace, he has made up for with his intelligent movement and his aerial ability is still on another level.
#1 Robert Lewandowski
Here's the man who is justified in feeling robbed off the 2020 Ballon d'Or. Robert Lewandowski does not seem to be bothered though. He has moved on to making a strong case for himself this time around and the results are extraordinary for the second season running.
The Polish international has been scoring goals for fun yet again and continues to spearhead the Bayern Munich attack with his no-nonsense marksman displays. Lewandowski has scored a whopping 26 goals from 21 appearances in the Bundesliga for the Bavarians.
For both club and country, Lewandowski has scored 34 goals and eight assists from 35 appearances this season. In six games in February, Lewandowski has scored five goals.
Bayern Munich are one of the strongest teams in Europe and if they can bag a couple of titles, Lewandowski might finally get his due and win the Ballon d'Or.
