Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandoski have been named alongside Jorginho and N’Golo Kante on the 30-man shortlist for the men’s 2021 Ballon d’Or award.
The Ballon D’or is the award for the best male player within the last 12 months and was last won for a record sixth time by Messi in 2019.
Bayern Munich’s striker, Lewandowski missed out on succeeding the Argentine forward during the 2020 edition which was canceled because of Covid 19 scare, but now squares up against Premier league’s player of the month, Christiano Ronaldo and a host of others.
.
Meanwhile, Chelsea has the highest number of players on the list with five Chelsea stars making the list amongst whom are: Ngolo Kante – who was UEFA’s Player of the Match in both semi-final Champions League games against Real Madrid, as well as the final against Manchester City, while Jorginho, who was integral to Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph is also in contention.
Following the 30-man shortlist, a selection of international journalists, national team coaches and captains will be polled to determine the winner, with each voter being asked to pick out their top five.
Once that process has been completed, the prestigious prize will be handed out at a ceremony in Paris on November 29.
