The race for the most prestigious Ballon d’Or award has officially started. The French magazine, France Football, awards this trophy each year to the player they believe had the most outstanding performances over the previous 12 months. The countdown will conclude on November 29 at a ceremony in Paris, when France Football will reveal the winner. There are only a few actual applicants among the 30 candidates. After years of dominance by two aliens, Messi and Ronaldo, the situation is somewhat murky.
This article will take a look at the people who could win it and why they might be considered favorites. L’Equipe, a representative of the same media holding as France Football, shares insight on the five finalists.
Probably, for a historic trophy will compete Lewandowski, Leo, Cristiano, Benzema, and Jorginho.
Karim Benzema
Benzema jumped into the last carriage with the favorites, but his chances are overgrowing with each new match. Real Madrid’s talisman is as impressive in the club and the national team. He shows the best performance in his entire career. Since Zidane won the Ballon d’Or in 1998, no French player has received the award.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The eventual success of Cristiano will be a huge sensation. He won only the Italian Cup with Juventus and did not compensate for the lack of titles with any crazy figures. The best performer of the Premier League in September is behind Messi, Lewandowski and Holland. There is still time until the prize is awarded, and the Portuguese may easily go ahead of his competitors.
Jorginho
In 2018, the winner was Luka Modric, the vice-champion of the world, and now Jorginho, the winner of Euro 2020, is appealing with similar arguments. If the jury had just considered team achievements, Jorginho would have won the Ballon d’Or handily. He has two major titles to his name: the Champions League and Euro 2020.
Robert Lewandowski
France Football owed the Polish striker an award in 2020. Last season Lewandowski won three titles with Bayern Munich: Bundesliga, Club World Cup and German Super Cup.
Michael Owen, a former Liverpool, Real Madrid, and England player, announced he would present the most prestigious individual award to Benzema. “I thought Lewandowski was so unfortunate not to win it in the COVID year when it was, it was obviously suspended or canceled that year, and I would probably go with him. He has won the Bundesliga again. There are other candidates, don’t get me wrong, but his numbers are quite staggering. His goals in the last year. So I think I would go for Lewandowski. It would be an absolute crime if he went through his career without winning. He is a stunning player,” he told Euronews.
Lionel Messi
With 30 goals for Barcelona last season, Messi became the top scorer in La Liga. Also, he won a significant tournament with the Argentine national team. The Argentines won Copa America against the hosts, Brazil, in the iconic Maracana. By winning Argentina’s first major title in 20 years in 2021, Messi had done the practically impossible. After losing three finals, they finally broke the ancient curse.
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