"Champion above all" - Brazil legend Ronaldo picks his 2021 Ballon d'Or winner "without a doubt"
Two-time Ballon d'Or winner and Brazil legend Ronaldo has revealed his pick for the 2021 edition of the highest individual accolade in football. The phenom firmly believes Karim Benzema should win the Ballon d'Or ahead of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski this year.
Expressing his opinion through Instagram, Ronaldo stated he has no doubts over the fact that Benzema deserves to win the award in 2021. He pointed out that the Frenchman has been excellent for the last 10 years and hailed him as a "champion above all" in the race for the Ballon d'Or.
Ronaldo's Instagram post, originally in Spanish, can be translated into:
"Without a doubt, my candidate for the Ballon d'Or is Benzema. The best striker, brutal level for 10 years and champion above all. Don't you think?
Benzema has been in spectacular form for Real Madrid recently. The 33-year-old has netted 87 goals and registered 31 assists from 147 appearances across competitions in each of the last three seasons.
Notably, he has already scored 10 goals and notched up seven assists in just 10 appearances for Real Madrid this season. Benzema also played an integral role as France won the UEFA Nations League. As such, the Frenchman has emerged as a darkhorse in the race for the Ballon d'Or award.
Deschamps and Ancelotti also backed Benzema for 2021 Ballon d'Or
While the likes of Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho have dominated the talks surrounding the 2021 Ballon d'Or, Benzema is not short of support.
Both his coaches at club and international level extended their support to Benzema in the race for the Ballon d'Or this year. Didier Deschamps, who recalled the striker to the France national team during Euro 2020, stated in a press conference that he "clearly" believes it should go to Benzema.
Benzema has scored in the Nations League Semi Final and Final against two top teams in the World
For context, Messi did absolutely nothing in Copa America Semi Final and Final
Benzema is the clear favorite for Ballon D'or now. 👑 https://t.co/6or64IkE6d
Meanwhile, Ancelotti was also quite confident about backing Benzema for the Ballon d'Or award. The Real Madrid head coach commented at a press conference:
“For what he’s doing and for what he has done, he has to be in the list of possible winners. Saying that, Karim’s got time to win it. I somehow doubt this is his final season - he’s like a fine wine; the older he gets the better he is."
Despite the vote of confidence from several legendary footballers, it remains to be seen whether Benzema can spring a surprise by winning the award. The Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held on November 29 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.