Portugal's top 5 Ballon d'Or 2021 votes revealed, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo omitted
Argentine forward Lionel Messi and Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo were omitted from Portugal's top 5 Ballon d'Or 2021 votes, it has been revealed.
Lionel Messi was awarded his seventh Ballon d'Or last week, while Cristiano Ronaldo finished sixth in the final rankings.
Messi saw off competition from Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, who finished second in the voting, and Chelsea's Jorginho, who finished third. French duo Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante were placed fourth and fifth respectively.
Portugal ranked their top five players for the 2021 Ballon d'Or. Joaquim Rita of SIC was Portugal's representative, according to Sportbible.
He named Chelsea star N'Golo Kante as his No.1 pick, Bayern Munich hitman Robert Lewandowski as his No.2 pick, and Kylian Mbappe third, while Italy midfielder Jorginho finished fourth.
Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah rounded off Portugal's top five players for the Ballon d'Or. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were omitted from Portugal's list of top five players for the Ballon d'Or this year.
Messi was awarded the 2021 Ballon d'Or award thanks to his contributions to the Argentina national team and Barcelona. The 34-year-old single-handedly led La Albiceleste to the Copa America 2021 title last summer, the country's first major international trophy in 28 years.
He ended the tournament as the top goal-scorer and top assist provider, scoring four goals and contributing five assists.
Lionel Messi also scored 38 goals in 47 appearances for Barcelona last season. He led the Catalan giants to the Copa del Rey title before leaving the club last summer after the expiration of his contract.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, scored 29 goals in 33 Serie A appearances for Juventus last year as he ended the season as the league's top goal-scorer. The 36-year-old also scored five goals for Portugal at Euro 2020, winning the Golden Boot award.
ICYMI: Argentina's Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or award for a record-stretching seventh time beating Polish striker Robert Lewandowski and Italian midfielder Jorginho to lift soccer's most prestigious trophy yet again reut.rs/3EcKcBW #BallonDor https://t.co/HxQFOsuGVH
France Football has been heavily criticized for awarding Lionel Messi the 2021 Ballon d'Or
A number of fans and pundits believed Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski was more deserving of the 2021 Ballon d'Or. The Polish striker scored an incredible 48 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions for Bayern Munich last season.
Lewandowski has continued his incredible form this season, scoring 27 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions. He was awarded the Striker of the Year award at the 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony.
It's a travesty this is the closest Robert Lewandowski got to the Ballon d'Or 😔 https://t.co/PyPIKy4p9v
Despite leading Argentina to the 2021 Copa America title, Lionel Messi was unable to inspire Barcelona to the La Liga title last season.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has also endured a slow start to the 2021-22 campaign at PSG.