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#3 Kylian Mbappe - France/Paris Saint-Germain
Kylian Mbappe is poised to finish on the Ballon d'Or podium this time around. France are among the favourites to win the European championship and if they do, Mbappe's chances of winning his maiden Ballon d'Or award will receive a major boost.
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The Frenchman is just 22-years-old and that's hard to believe because he has been around and at the top of the game for five years now. He scored 42 goals and provided 11 assists in 47 games across all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain this past season.
He is yet to score for France at Euro 2020 but his blistering pace and incredible trickery has helped France get to the knockout stages unscathed.
#2 N'Golo Kante - France/Chelsea
N'Golo Kante has been one of the most consistent performers in 2021. He signed off on the 2020-21 season by winning the Champions League title. Kante was also Chelsea's main man in the final stages of their triumphant run in Europe's elite competition.
Kante won four back-to-back man-of-the-match awards from the second leg of Chelsea's quarter-final tie all the way to the final against Manchester City. A big-game player, Kante has earned plaudits for his tirelessness and tactical intelligence. He is also a neat passer of the ball and is one of the best in the business when it comes to making recoveries.
Kante is one of the first names on France's teamsheet at Euro 2020. Now that we're into the knockout stages of the tournament, we're hoping to see some more of the Frenchman's brilliance in high-pressure situations.
#1 Robert Lewandowski - Poland/Bayern Munich
Robert Lewandowski was the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or last year. However, the Ballon d'Or awards were canceled in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and Lewandowski was robbed of it. But he has kicked on in the same vein this year and has been absolutely brilliant for Bayern Munich.
Lewandowski won the European Golden Shoe in the 2020-21 season, scoring 41 goals in 29 Bundesliga appearances. He also broke Gerd Muller's record for the most goals scored in a Bundesliga season. In total, the 32-year-old scored 48 goals and provided nine assists across all competitions for the Bavarians this past season.
Inarguably the finest striker in the world right now, Lewandowski is the closest thing we have to a complete number 9. He is technically adept, has a great leap, can shoot with both feet and is good at taking defenders on and beating them. He also won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in the 2020-21 season.
