Ranking the 5 best 2021 Ballon d'Or nominees who have never won the Champions League
The Ballon d'Or award for 2021 is set to be announced at the end of the month. This year has seen some interesting candidates come into the shortlist, while some regular faces are also present.
With such a mixed range of players present, the race for the Ballon d'Or is surely an interesting one this year. Among the Ballon d'Or nominees, some have been incredible this season.
Some of the Ballon d'Or nominees are yet to win the Champions League
Winning the UEFA Champions League is a dream come true for a footballer. While some of the great players have been lucky to win it more than once, others are yet to win it. The 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or comprises of some new names and, understandably, they are yet to win the Champions League.
While the players have done well individually to earn themselves a spot on the Ballon d'Or nominee list, their hunger for a Champions League medal still goes on. On that note, let's take a look at the top five Ballon d'Or nominees yet to win the great European tournament.
Honorable mention: Bruno Fernandes and Romelu Lukaku
#5 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
The Englishman might be struggling right now but there is no denying his capabilities as a striker. Harry Kane was strongly linked with joining Manchester City last summer but with Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy unwilling to let him go, the 28-year-old is still at the club.
The sole reason behind Kane's desire to leave Spurs was to win silverware. After all these years, the striker does deserve to win some silverware, especially considering his prolific goal-scoring record. That being said, both Kane and Manchester City are yet to win the UEFA Champions League.
Harry Kane has 42 G/A in 37 appearances but will never win the Ballon d'Or or any trophies because he plays for Spurs. He is wasting his career.
The Ballon d'Or nominee reached the Champions League finals with Tottenham Hotspur in the 2018-19 season. Spurs went on to lose the match 2-0 against Liverpool despite some impressive performances in the tournament. Kane had done very well that season, scoring five goals and recording an assist in the Champions League.
#4 Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)
The Italian centre-back is one of the most experienced players among the Ballon d'Or nominees this year. With his smart and sharp defending, he's one of the most reliable figures at the back.
Giorgio Chiellini played a vital role in helping Italy win the Euro 2020 this year and has been a rock for Juventus for more than 17 seasons now. The 37-year old is going strong with age and is still a very valuable asset in defense.
Giorgio Chiellini insists Italy team-mate Jorginho "truly deserves" to win the Ballon d'Or 🏆
During his stellar career, the Italian defender has reached the UEFA Champions League finals twice with Juventus, once in 2015 and the second time in 2017. In the first final, Barcelona emerged as 3-1 winners while in the second final, Real Madrid emerged as 4-1 winners.