Ballon d'Or 2021: Ranking the top 5 favourites - February 2021
The Ballon d'Or is the most coveted individual prize in football and along with the usual suspects, we have a few surprise entrants in the race this time.
The prestigious Ballon d'Or is awarded to the best exponents of the game by France Football. The award will be decided by a panel of journalists, national team captains and coaches.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of the Ballon d'Or was cancelled. The pandemic disrupted the 2019-20 season. But the 2020-21 season has been going on without any interruptions so far and the Ballon d'Or is set to return.
Ballon d'Or race returns in 2021 after a year's absence
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have enjoyed a duopoly over the Ballon d'Or. Luka Modric broke it recently but Lionel Messi won it back again and currently has six Ballon d'Or's to his name.
Both Messi and Ronaldo remain in the race but they're not sure shot favorites to win it this year. Without further ado, let's take a look at the five favorites to win the Ballon d'Or this term.
#5 Luis Suarez
The Barcelona board has made far too many erratic decisions in the recent past. Showing Luis Suarez the exit door in the summer whilst keeping him out of the loop on the discussions was simply not the right thing to do.
Suarez was heartbroken but it eventually worked out well for the Uruguayan. He joined Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid and has been tearing it up for the Rojiblancos. While Barcelona have struggled for goals in the absence of an out-and-out striker, Suarez has shown them exactly what they've been missing.
Atletico Madrid are six points clear at the top of La Liga with two games in hand and it is, in no short part, thanks to Luis Suarez's exploits. The 34-year-old has been in sublime form this season and has scored 16 goals and provided two assists from across 17 appearances in La Liga this term.
If he keeps this up, he will be among the top scorers in Europe with a Goal +Assist average of over one in a game.
#4 Kylian Mbappe
Ever since Kylian Mbappe emerged on the scene as a teenager, he has been exceptional. We keep holding him to high standards and the youngster never fails to rise above them. The 22-year-old has been in unreal form yet again and has kicked on with his trend of clocking incredible numbers.
Mbappe has scored 16 goals and provided six assists from across 20 appearances in Ligue 1 this term. Mbappe has two goals and three assists from five appearances in the UEFA Champions League as well.
His blistering pace and silky dribbling skills make him one of the most intimidating attackers in the world and once he goes past defenders, there is no stopping him. If Mbappe can keep this up, he could definitely make it to the podium and maybe even go on to win the most coveted individual prize in football.