5 favorites to win the 2021 Ballon d’Or: 7th time for Lionel Messi?

Lionel Messi (ARG / FC Barcelona) poses onstage after winning his sixth Ballon D'Or award. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
Lionel Messi (ARG / FC Barcelona) poses onstage after winning his sixth Ballon D'Or award. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
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While the footballing world is going berserk over the formation of the new European Super League, people are forgetting that the current season is still ongoing and at the end of the season, there will be a player who will win the Ballon d’Or and will be crowned as the best player in the world, with Lionel Messi hoping to be crowned a record 7th time.

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Having said that, this time the award might evade the hands of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and someone new might win it. The prestigious award ceremony was not held last season due to the pandemic and thus fans will be looking forward to the awards this season. Last season it should have been rightfully given to Robert Lewandowski but let’s look at the options this season and see if any Barcelona player stands a chance of winning the Ballon d’Or.

#5 Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)

The first one on the list, in no particular order, to win this season’s Ballon d’Or has to be one of the hottest prospects in Europe at the moment, Erling Haaland. The Borussia Dortmund striker has been creating waves around the world via his goal-scoring abilities and he has proven to the elites that he is good enough to go on to win many trophies in the future.

This season he will not be winning any trophies although he did help Dortmund reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League where they were knocked out by arguably the best team in Europe at the moment, Manchester City. His stats, 35 goals, and 10 assists in 36 appearances have attracted all the big clubs of Europe. It is unlikely that he will stay with the German side next season as he has been courted by great clubs such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester City. He might not win the Ballon d’Or due to the lack of trophies, but he surely deserves to be on the list due to his insane goal-scoring record.