Ballon d'Or 2021: 4 players who can beat Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo on November 29

The Ballon d'Or 2021 awards will be held at the Chatelet Theatre in the French capital of Paris on 29 November. This year's football awards will once again witness some of the top footballers battling it out to lay their hands on the prestigious award, and the modern-day greats of the game- Cristiano Ronaldo and his fierce rival Lionel Messi are expected to be the frontrunners to win the prize once again. 

While Messi and Ronaldo are two of the top contenders to lift the trophy, there are a few talented players who can give the modern-day greats of the game a run for their money. So without further ado, let's take a look at the four players who can ensure that neither Leo nor 'CR7' leaves the Chatelet Theatre as the Ballon d'Or 2021 winner.

1. Karim Benzema

The French striker has been in the form of his life after netting 19 goals so far this season. He has managed to score 9 goals in La Liga and one in the Champions League for Real Madrid so far, while also providing 7 assists in just 10 appearances for the Los Blancos.

2.  Kevin De Bruyne

The Belgian midfielder was instrumental in Manchester City's Premier League triumph last season but more importantly, he has also been very consistent as far his individual performances are concerned. Kevin De Bruyne succeeded in finding the back of the net on 12 occasions and at the same time also produced 13 assists for the 'Citizens' across competitions. Apart from the EPL win, he had also played a key role in Man City's Carabao Cup triumph as well earlier this year.

3. Jorginho 

Jorginho, who had scored the winning penalty for Italy in the UEFA Euro Cup 2020 semi-final against Spain at the iconic Wembley arena in July this year can wrap up the year by adding yet another trophy in his cabinet and that is the prestigious Ballon d'Or award. 

The Italian midfielder has already achieved a lot as he has been a part of some of the club's memorable triumphs at both the club as well as the international level. Jorginho was the standout performer for both Chelsea as well as Italy in the midfield area and was instrumental in the Blues' UEFA Champions League as well as the UEFA Super Cup triumphs and followed it up by inspiring 'The Azzurri' to a Euro Cup win. Therefore, on a personal note, he can pip the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as far as his impactful 2021 performances are concerned where he netted five goals and also had two assists.

4.  Robert Lewandowski

The Polish football sensation is arguably the strongest contender to win the Ballon d'Or 2021. Robert Lewandowski has netted an outstanding 50 goals for the Bundesliga club Bayern Munich across all competitions including eight assists. Apart from that he also helped FC Bayern Munich in winning the Bundesliga, Club World Cup & DFL-Supercup titles respectively. At the same time, the Polish striker also won the Golden Boot for being the highest scorer in Europe last season.

Ballon d'Or 2021 nominees

Here's the full list of the Ballon d’Or 2021 nominees:

Ballon d'Or Messi vs Ronaldo

The duo has already claimed 11 awards between them. The Copa America 2021 winner has won the Ballon dOr on six occasions while his Portuguese counterpart takes a close second place with five awards to his name.