As the 2020-2021 football season comes to an end with all its events and titles, serious discussions begin regarding the leading candidates for the Ballon d'Or, awarded to the best player of the year. With the conclusion of all the competitions for the season, the award will largely depend on the individual achievements of football stars during the season and the accomplishments they achieved with their teams. Thus, the discussion increasingly narrows down to five stars, who are the top contenders for the Ballon d'Or, awarded by "France Football" to the best player in 2021 at the end of the year.
**Messi: A Title with Argentina at Last**
The top candidate now for the Ballon d'Or is the Argentine star Lionel Messi, nicknamed "the Flea," who has risen to the forefront after winning the Copa America with the Argentine national team. Messi's chances of winning a seventh Ballon d'Or will be bolstered by his outstanding season with Barcelona, where he topped the league's scorers with 28 goals.
**King of Achievements**
The strongest competitor to Messi for the Ballon d'Or is Italian midfielder Jorginho, who won the two most important titles in 2021: the UEFA Champions League with his club Chelsea and the European Championship with his national team. Jorginho is the only player in Europe to have achieved these two major titles and was a key figure for both teams in winning them.
**The Hardworking Frenchman**
The third candidate for the Ballon d'Or is French midfielder N'Golo Kanté, who was a top contender for the award before the European Championship began. However, the strange exit of his national team in the Round of 16 against Switzerland diminished his chances. Kanté had a fantastic season with Chelsea and was the standout player in the Champions League; all he needed was to shine with the French national team in "Euro 2020," which did not happen.
**The Goal Scoring Machine**
The fourth candidate is Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who broke all scoring records this season, scoring 41 goals in the Bundesliga, the highest scoring record in the league's history and across Europe during the season. However, Lewandowski failed to lead his club Bayern Munich to repeat their Champions League success and struggled with the Polish national team during Euro 2020, despite his personal brilliance and scoring three goals in three matches.
**Cristiano Ronaldo: Euro and Serie A Top Scorer**
No discussion about the Ballon d'Or is complete without mentioning Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the award five times. Betting offices placed Ronaldo third in the race for the award after he became the top scorer in Serie A for the first time during his time at Juventus and achieved the title of top scorer in the European Championship, despite his national team exiting in the Round of 16.
