Lionel Messi was named the winner of the 2021 Ballon d’Or trophy for a record-extending seventh time last night. He was many people’s favourite for the prize along side Robert Lewandowski, both of whom have had a stellar 2021.
Messi racked up an astonishing 41 goals and 17 assists for Barcelona, PSG and Argentina this year. He added another Copa Del Rey to his collection with Barcelona and played an instrumental role in securing the Copa America with Argentina. Lewandowski, meanwhile, continued his fine form from 2020, netting 53 goals in just 42 appearances this year, the most across Europe’s top-five leagues. He also broke the 40-year Bundesliga record for most goals in a single season.
Ultimately the Pole finished some 33 votes behind Messi and had to settle for the inaugural Striker of the Year award. EURO and Champions League winner Jorginho finished third in the Ballon d’Or rankings. French duo Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté rounded up the top-five.
Cristiano Ronaldo hadn’t finished outside the top-three in the Ballon d’Or rankings since 2010. But this year, he could only manage to come sixth. Ronaldo scored 30 goals at club level in 2021 and became the all-time leading scorer in international football.
Both Kylian Mbappé and Mohamed Salah outscored Ronaldo, but lack of silverware meant they finished ninth and seventh respectively. Kevin De Bruyne finished eighth in the rankings and PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma completed the top-10.
Ballon d’Or top 10 rankings:
- Lionel Messi (PSG/Barcelona, Argentina) – 613 votes
- Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, Poland) – 580 votes
- Jorginho (Chelsea, Italy) – 460 votes
- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France) – 239 votes
- N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea, France) – 186 votes
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Manchester United, Portugal) – 178 votes
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt) – 121 votes
- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium) – 73 votes
- Kylian Mbappé (PSG, France) – 58 votes
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG, Italy) – 36 votes
Other award winners
As already mentioned, Messi won his record seventh Ballon d’Or and Lewandowski won the Striker of the Year award. Messi’s teammate Donnarumma claimed the Yashin Trophy, awarded to the best goalkeeper. His exploits with Italy en-route to lifting the EURO 2020 were recognised with the honour.
19-year old Pedri won the Kopa Trophy. The Barcelona youngster has already become a vital component for both Spain and Barcelona. Chelsea won the inaugural Club of the Year, with 11 players nominated across all award categories.
Here’s the full list of award winners:
Men’s Ballon d’Or – Lionel Messi
Womens’ Ballon d’Or – Alexia Putellas
Striker of the Year – Robert Lewandowski
Club of the Year – Chelsea
Kopa Trophy – Pedri
Yashin Trophy – Gianluigi Donnarumma