Football elite is set to gather at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris this Monday, November 29, for the ceremony to crown the 2021 Ballon D’or winner in both men's and women's football.
The voting closes on November 24, the winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 29, at 20:00 GMT (12:30 IST). The voting is done by the top Journalists of the world and captains of top Clubs of Europe.
The criteria to win a Ballon d'Or covers a variety of things. The level of performance put in by the player throughout the season is, of course, recognised, with statistics such as goals scored, assists provided, the performance of the player's team, and leadership.
Trophies won by the player are also taken into account, as well as the importance of said trophies. Interestingly, the player's image on and off the pitch is also considered.
Considering these criteria Lionel Messi has an edge over other contenders. Messi did not have a best of his individual performance season but then he did win Copa America with his national team, Argentina and Copa Del Ray, with his former club FC Barcelona. He scored a total of 41 Goals and 20 assists this season.
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Cityspidey was keeping a close eye on the top performers of European leagues this season. Here we have a list of top five players a day before the ceremony.
#5 Kylian Mbappe
Team - Paris Saint Germain & France
Goals - 45 Assist - 22
Prize - UEFA Nations League, Coupe De France, Trophee des Champions.
#4 N’Golo Kante
Team - Chelsea & France
Goals - 2 Assist - 1
Prize - UEFA Champion League & UEFA Super Cup
#3 Jorginho
Team - Chelsea & Italy
Goals - 9 Assists - 3
Prize - Euro 2020, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup
#2 Robert Lewandowski
Team - Bayern Munich & Poland
Goals - 64 Assist - 10
Prize - Bundesliga , Club World Cup, DFL- Supercup
#1 Lional Messi
Team - Paris Saint-Germain & Argentina
Goals - 41 Assist 17
Prize - Copa America & Copa Del Ray
This award is being shared between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for a record 11 times in the last 13 ceremonies. It is highly anticipated that this award will go to Lionel Messi this time. If he wins it this time he will be at the top in the list of most ballon d'or winners by a margin. Does this award end the debate of who is the Greatest of All time?