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The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual prize in football. The award is presented by French news magazine France Football. The winner is chosen on the basis of a combination of votes from journalists, national team captains and coaches.
Copa America 2021 and Euro 2020 will play a role in deciding the Ballon d'Or race
The Ballon d'Or was canceled in 2020 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. But it is back now and it has been quite an exciting year for football fans all around the world. A hugely entertaining 2020-21 season in Europe was followed by Euro 2020 and the Copa America 2021.
Both continental competitions will have an influence on who gets to wrap their hands around the Ballon d'Or. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have exercised a duopoly of sorts over the Ballon d'Or in the last decade and a half. But the race has been blown wide open this year.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the Ballon d'Or Power Rankings for the month of July.
#10 Neymar Jr. - Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain
Neymar Jr. was Brazil's driving force behind their run to the final of the Copa America 2021. He continues to be the main man for his national side, scoring two goals and providing three assists as Brazil finished as the runner-up at the tournament.
Neymar won the Coup de France with Paris Saint-Germain. The lack of a major trophy will be detrimental to his hopes of winning the Ballon d'Or. Neymar has 17 goals and provided 11 assisfor PSG in 31 matches across all competitions in the 2020-21 season.
If he goes on to have a stellar first half of the season, then Neymar might climb higher up the list. But until then he stays low with a thin chance.
#9 Romelu Lukaku - Belgium/Inter Milan
Belgium will play France in the final of the UEFA Nations League in October. If Romelu Lukaku can inspire the Belgian Red Devils to a win against the world champions, he could very well finish on the Ballon d'Or podium.
Lukaku has been a force to be reckoned with this year. He was arguably Inter Milan's best player as they won the Serie A title. He was pretty good at Euro 2020 as well, scoring four goals for Belgium but they were beaten in the quarter-finals by Italy.
The Belgian striker scored 30 goals and provided 10 assists in 44 matches across all competitions for Inter Milan in the 2020-21 season.
#8 Kylian Mbappe - France/Paris Saint-Germain
Kylian Mbappe could have greatly boosted his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or with a good outing at Euro 2020. However, he had a rather forgettable time at the continental competition as France crashed out in the Round of 16 against Switzerland.
Mbappe lacks a major trophy and this spells bad news for him as far as the race for the Ballon d'Or is concerned. At club level, he has won the Coupe de France & Trophee des Champions. In total, Mbappe scored 42 goals and provided 11 assists in 47 games for PSG in 2020-21.
But Mbappe will need to win the UEFA Nations League final with France if he is to even come close to the podium.
#7 Erling Haaland - Norway/Borussia Dortmund
Erling Haaland is yet another player to register incredible individual numbers in the 2020-21 season without being big on the trophy haul. The Borussia Dortmund striker has had time off during the summer as Norway failed to qualify for Euro 2020.
He has won the DFB Pokal this year. Haaland is the most sought after striker in the world right now and he just turned 21. He can only go from strength to strength and has his entire career ahead of him.
Haaland finished the 2020-21 season with 41 goals and provided 12 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions for Borussia Dortmund.
#6 Harry Kane - England/Tottenham Hotspur
It was quite baffling to many that Harry Kane was not picked as the Premier League Player of the Season despite leading the goalscoring and assist charts. The English striker had a pretty good outing at Euro 2020 as well, scoring four goals in seven appearances.
He is still waiting for his first piece of silverware but a run to the final of Euro 2020 is a credible achievement. Kane scored 33 goals and provided 17 assists for Tottenham Hotspur in the 2020-21 season.
The 27-year-old is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the business and he could very well leave Spurs next summer the way things are going.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal/Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo could have been higher up the pitch if he had won a major trophy with Juventus. He won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana but the Bianconeri had forgettable outings in Serie A and the Champions League.
Ronaldo won the Serie A Golden Boot, having scored 29 goals in 33 appearances. Ronaldo scored 36 goals and provided four assists in 44 appearances across all competitions for the Bianconeri. He also won the Euro 2020 Golden Boot with five goals to his name despite Portugal crashing out in the Round of 16.
#4 N'Golo Kante - France/Chelsea
N'Golo Kante was Chelsea's best player as they won the UEFA Champions League in the 2020-21 season. The tenacious French midfielder was at his imperious best and bossed midfield battles in Europe's elite club competition.
Kante was also one of the first names on France's teamsheet at Euro 2020. However, the French were dispatched in the Round of 16. They suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Switzerland and none of the French players did anything worth writing home about.
Kante could still finish on the podium with a strong start to the new season. But he is unlikely to win the Ballon d'Or this year.
#3 Jorginho - Italy/Chelsea
Jorginho is a surprise entrant to the Ballon d'Or race but he comes heavy with achievements. He played an instrumental role in Chelsea's Champions League triumph. Jorginho was arguably the best midfielder at Euro 2020 with his dynamism helping Italy negotiate all kinds of adverse scenarios.
Jorginho flies under the radar too often, orchestrating play from deep and keeping his side ticking. But his contributions at Euro 2020 did not go unnoticed and he is finally being given the credit he is due.
Jorginho topped the list for interceptions (25), recoveries (46) and fouls drawn (18) at Euro 2020. Luka Modric was given the Ballon d'Or in 2018 for similar achievements. Jorginho has won the Champions League title and the Euro 2020 title this year.
#2 Robert Lewandowski - Poland/Bayern Munich
Robert Lewandowski was robbed off the Ballon d'Or last year as the award was canceled in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Once again, Lewandowski is the player who had the best individual campaign of the 2020-21 season.
He scored a whopping 48 goals and provided nine assists across all competitions for the Bavarians this past season. The Polish international scored three goals in three matches at Euro 2020 as well but couldn't make it past the group stage.
Lewandowski won the Bundesliga and the Club World Cup with Bayern Munich this past season. If he starts the 2021-22 season in the same vein as he ended the previous campaign, he could still win the 2021 Ballon d'Or.
#1 Lionel Messi - Argentina/Barcelona
Lionel Messi has finally won a major international trophy and he did it with aplomb. The Barcelona man was the best player at the Copa America 2021, winning both the Golden Ball and the Best Player award. The Argentina international scored four goals and provided five assists in seven appearances in the continental competition.
Messi had also won the La Liga Golden Boot, scoring 30 goals in the league in 2020-21. The 34-year-old scored 38 goals and provided 14 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona this past season.
He continues to be one of the best in the business and could cement his status as the GOAT if he can go on to win a seventh Ballon d'Or. Messi has also won the Copa Del Rey with Barcelona and he is currently the favourite to win the most prestigious individual prize in football.
