Ballon d'Or Power Rankings: September 2021
The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual prize in the game of football. It is awarded by French news magazine France Football to honour the best performing footballer in the world.
The Ballon d'Or is chosen on the basis of a voting system
The Ballon d'Or winner is picked on the basis of an aggregate of votes from journalists, national team captains and coaches. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ballon d'Or was canceled in 2020. However, it is all set to go ahead this year and it's hard to predict a winner this time around.
Since the Covid-19 break, there has been more than a year of nearly non-stop footballing action. The Cristiano Ronaldo - Lionel Messi rivalry had taken centre stage at the Ballon d'Or awards in the past decade and more.
But this time, the race has been blown wide open and there are a number of worthy contenders. Without further ado, let's take a look at the Ballon d'Or Power Rankings for the month of September 2021.
#10 Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
It has been a strange summer for Kylian Mbappe. The electric French forward had a disappointing outing at Euro 2020. He failed to score a goal and mustered just a single assist in four appearances for Les Bleus. Mbappe also came close to leaving Paris Saint-Germain this summer but was forced to stay put.
But don't let that distract you from the phenomenal 2020-21 season Mbappe had at an individual level. He scored 42 goals and provided 11 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain. He also won the Coupe de France & Trophee des Champions.
Mbappe has started the 2021-22 season well and has four goals and four assists to his name in eight appearances across all competitions so far. It might not be enough to get him the Ballon d'Or this term but Mbappe is tipped to win the award in the future.
Kylian Mbappe has won the Ligue 1 Player of the Month award for a record sixth time 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 https://t.co/DJhXsiEbRB
#9 Harry Kane (England/Tottenham Hotspur)
Harry Kane won the Premier League Golden Boot and the Playmaker's Award in the 2020-21 season. He also had a good outing at Euro 2020 where he sprang to life in the knockout stages and helped England reach the final. Kane scored four goals in seven appearances for the Three Lions at the tournament.
In the 2020-21 season, Kane scored 33 goals and provided 17 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions for Spurs. The 28-year-old is yet to open his register for the new season and has hit a slump of sorts. A lack of trophies has also severely affected Kane's chances in the Ballon d'Or race.
#8 Romelu Lukaku (Belgium/Chelsea)
Romelu Lukaku has established himself as one of the best strikers in the world. His high-profile return to Chelsea on a big money deal was one of the stories of the summer. Lukaku was arguably Inter Milan's best player as they won the Serie A title after a gap of 11 years.
The Belgian international scored 30 goals and provided 10 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions for the Nerazzurri in the 2020-21 season. Lukaku performed well at Euro 2020 as well, scoring four goals in five appearances in the competition.
The 28-year-old has got off to a good start in the 2021-22 season and has scored four goals in six appearances so far. Lukaku could become a serious contender for the Ballon d'Or in the years to come given how he has become a very well-rounded marksman in recent times.
• Romelu Lukaku has 8 G/A’s in his last 8 games for club and country.
• Timo Werner has 6 G/A’s in his last 6 games for club and country.
Time for this strike partnership to start together… ⚔️ https://t.co/A0RxfYWiyI