Ranking 5 best Premier League players on the 2021 Ballon d'Or shortlist
The last time a Premier League player won the Ballon d'Or award was in 2008. It was Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo who won the prestigious award for the very first time in his career.
Since then, no Premier League player has managed to win the Ballon d'Or. The closest someone from the league came to winning it was Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk in 2019. Unfortunately, the Dutchman was beaten to it by the great Lionel Messi, who won with a slim margin of just seven points.
Premier League could have a Ballon d'Or winner this year
With the 2021 Ballon d'Or nominees out, there are some very strong candidates from the Premier League who can give a competitive fight for the honor. That being said, it is not going to be easy given the competition from elsewhere.
It has been more than ten years since a Premier League player won it and this year could be the end of it. On that note, let's take a look at five of the best players from the Premier League to be included on the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or this year:
Note: All players have been ranked based on a combination of their performances last season and the ongoing campaign.
#5 N'Golo Kante (Chelsea)
How can one not love a player like N'Golo Kante? The Frenchman is a delightful player to watch and an even better person off the pitch.
The former Leicester midfielder was impressive last season as he won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea. He also went on to win the UEFA Super Cup with the Blues. With his stunning work-rate, intense pressing and amazing ball-winning abilities, Kante was absolutely phenomenal last season.
Ngolo Kante stats against Man City in the @ChampionsLeague 💙 https://t.co/CCWsqjWyJU
His performance for France at Euro 2020 was also attractive, as has always been the case. Kante has been a key player at both club and national level. His superb display in the Champions League final against Manchester City was a deciding factor in the outcome of the game. The Premier League midfielder is certainly a strong presence in the race for the Ballon d'Or this year.
#4 Jorginho (Chelsea)
The Italian won it all last season. With his incisive passing, smart positioning and superb vision, Jorginho is a very reliable player to have in midfield. He used all these capabilities to help Chelsea win the UEFA Champions League last season. To stake his claim further, Jorginho also lifted Euro 2020 with Italy.
It’s all about stats until your name is Jorginho https://t.co/sWlxUCbSex
Jorginho does look like an underrated player on the list to win the Ballon d'Or but he sure makes a strong case. Many people back him to win the award and it will be interesting to see if he can become the first Chelsea player to win the Ballon d'Or.