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The Ballon d’Or 2021; The precious individual trophy will be more contested than ever, considering that the “extraterrestrials” Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, do not start as favorites to take the “divine decoration”, as they have done repeatedly.
In the midst of “Superleague”, “mega-contracts” and twists and turns of European football, the award appears that calls with epic siren songs to the best footballers in the world. For this reason, as the editorial staff of Balon Latino, we recount each candidate for individual soccer “nirvana”. Join us in this list of stars that is broken down below.
1. Kevin De Bruyne
The Belgian midfielder is, almost without discussion, the linchpin of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team. Despite his decline at the scorer level, his incidence in the game puts him on the edge for the 2021 Ballon d’Or. De Bruyne has evolved exponentially in his game, managing to be considered one of the best players in the world.
2. Robert Lewandowski
The Pole is synonymous with a goal, both for his team and for his national team; However, the early elimination of Bayern Munich at the hands of PSG may leave them without the Ballon d’Or. Despite this, their numbers support what we always highlight as an individual award; 43 goals in 37 games this seasonIf we count his assists, he contributes every 61 minutes. A bestiality for those who will surely raise the Bundesliga and the Golden Boot again.
3. Kylian Mbappé
The French footballer is the heir alongside Haaland of the path that Messi and CR7 will soon leave. Mbappé is leading PSG in the UEFA Champions Leagueas it appeared in the series versus the FC Barcelona with four goals and recently scored two goals against him Bayern to get his team into the semi-finals. In Ligue 1, the PSG is fighting like never before (because it failed to stretch an advantage like previous years) and Kylian has 25 goals in 29 games plus seven assists. Total, one of the candidates to win the Ballon d’Or 2021 He has 37 goals and 10 passes in 43 games with him. PSG.
The Parisian team entered the final phase of the Champions League and if he wins it, the chips would point to the 22-year-old, but do not forget that his team is one of the strongest competitors for the award, Neymar.
4. Neymar JR
The “lord of Paris” returns to the shortlist he deserves. He is, perhaps, the most fit footballer on the current scene and recalibrated the atheists to his figure in a tie against Bayern Munich that can only be classified as sublime. At 29 he is in the best moment of his extraordinary football career; comfortable at PSG negotiating a succulent negotiation, exploiting a sports ecosystem designed for him and Kylian Mbappe and wasting football like it fell out of his pockets.
Neymar Jr’s numbers, which are very good, do not fully reflect the indisputable, and even hegemonic, quality of the Brazilian in the “parisien” club. In 26 games, Neymar JR has scored 15 goals and 10 assists. Like the other Latino players, it may hurt you that you can’t play the CONMEBOL qualifiers with Brazil, as these games make a difference in a vote as close and outlandish as this one. If PSG manages to win the Champions League final (or reach the final again), Neymar will be able to see closer to his dream of winning the Ballon d’Or that has slipped through his fingers in previous editions.
5. Lionel Messi
It is practically impossible to talk about 2021 Ballon d’Or candidates not to mention the Argentine. Although this season has not been the best at a collective level, its numbers remain at a great pace considering that, so far, it has registered 36 annotations and 14 passes to goal in 3,902 minutes divided into 44 commitments, which gives an average goal or assist every 78 minutes.
Unfortunately for his cause, the delay in Conmebol’s knockout matches could take a toll on him. In addition, considering that this type of awards reward a footballer within a great team, the fact that the ‘flea‘be on a transition team it could be negative for his hypothetical victory.
6. Karim Benzema
While Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale left the Madrid boat, and thus the BBC did not shine more, the ‘Cat’ continues to be a reference to the white attack. French today fulfills the role of emblem and guide for names like the always mentioned Vinicius Jr.
Although their figures are far from scandalous, Real Madrid’s attack performance It depends on what Benzema can contribute. In La Liga he has scored 21 times this season and it is escort of the one with the most (28). In Champions scored 71 times (counting the six of this season), so he is part of the Top 5 (tied with Raúl González) of the competition’s historic scoring.
7. Cristiano Ronaldo
The winner of the Bronze Ball in 2019 could not be left out of the possible candidates for this year’s highest award. The Portuguese striker turned 36 in February and thus continues to show that age is not an impediment to being one of the best. While his season has not received the spotlight of yesteryear, his numbers are indisputable. To date, he has scored 34 goals in 40 games wearing the Juventus colors.
However, as a drag on his candidacy is the competitive downturn of his club. The ‘Vecchia Signora’, for the first time in almost 10 years, has failed to be crowned as Serie A champion. The ‘bianconeri’ dominance was surpassed by Antonio Conte’s Inter. Likewise, the fate of CR7 and his club in the Champions League once again experienced a misstep after their elimination at the hands of Porto. In short, the collective performance of his team may be the greatest point of criticism before a possible victory for Cristiano.
8. Romelu Lukaku
Romelu found his place in the world after so much searching and as if that were not enough, he achieved Serie A with Inter, something that had not happened in a long time as a result of the supremacy of Juventus. In addition, despite being quickly eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, the numbers of ‘La Pantera’ are of a champion: In 41 games he scored 27 goals and gave nine assists. His duo with Lautaro Martínez placed the Nerazzurri at the top of Italian football after more than a decade.
9. Bruno Fernandes
Portugal is building a good litter of footballers and the leader is Manchester United’s attacking midfielder. He changed the face of the “Red Devils” since he arrived in England and his style of play is captivating the red part of Manchester. In the current season 20/21 he has 26 goals and 16 assists in 52 meetings with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team. United lost only two games when Bruno Fernandes scored and that reflects how influential that it is in the team the Portuguese who got into the TOP-10 of the candidates to win the Ballon d’Or 2021.
With the ‘citizen’ team, the 29-year-old has played 37 games this season. In them, has managed to score 9 goals and provide a total of 17 assists. It is true that they are not the 16 goals and 23 assists in 48 games that he achieved last season. However, they are enviable numbers for most midfielders in world football. Added to this, his club’s performance in both the Premier League and the Champions League is being impeccable, which only increases your chances of winning the award.
10. Harry Kane
Tottenham’s campaign has been one of the worst in recent years and, even so, the Englishman has been confirmed as one of the best attackers in the Premier. Kane is not just a killer forward, but he also knows how to associate with his teammates, a situation that has attracted the attention of clubs such as PSG and Real Madrid. In this year, the striker registered 31 annotations and 16 assists in 45 duels played.
His projection could grow in the coming seasons understanding that his stay at Spurs tends in a thread. Given this, his possible arrival at a more important club in Europe could help him to have the reflectors it deserves.
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