Players

Is Messi for Ballon d'Or? The list of players that could win

By Juan Angel Aiesi

Lionel Messi tops the list and the picture of who are the best players on the planet seems pretty clear. 
 

Lionel Messi tops the list and the picture of who are the best players on the planet seems pretty clear.   

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The Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is once again odds-on favourite to clinch this year's Ballon d'Or title after he inspired his beloved Argentina to Copa glory. That continental conquest wiped out, once and for all, what had been an ugly stain Messi's illustrious career.

 

 

It was his first piece of international silverware and, having contributed heavily to the winning of it, he has been catapulted to the front of the race for the biggest individual prize in the game.

 

 

However, there are some out there who suspect it might not all be smooth sailing for Messi, especially after Italy beat England to claim the Euro 2020 title.

 

 

That continental conquest wiped out, once and for all, what had been an ugly stain Messi's illustrious career. It was his first piece of international silverware and, having contributed heavily to the winning of it, he has been catapulted to the front of the race for the biggest individual prize in the game.

 

 

Who are the main candidates to win the golden ballon D'Or?

 

 

However, there are some out there who suspect it might not all be smooth sailing for Messi, especially after Italy beat England to claim the Euro 2020 title.

 

 

That is because within those Italian ranks stands a player who has, arguably, had just as much of an influence on his teams as Messi has. Midfield metronome Jorginho was an integral cog in the Chelsea machine that would go on to win the Champions League earlier this year, and he played a similar role at the heart of the Italian engine room.

 

Now, former Chelsea and Italy legend Gianfranco Zola has come out in defence of Jorginho's case, claiming the 29-year-old would be than deserving of the title. "Now we are talking about a fantastic player like Messi who did extraordinary things for the first time with his national team – and this won't go unnoticed,' Zola said

 

 

Another candidate is none other than N'Golo Kanté, the Chelsea midfielder who played a key role in the English team's Champions League triumph and who showed a very high level in that competition.

 

 

Although his lack of goals puts him at a disadvantage for this type of awards, the reality is that specialists also pay attention to the defensive aspect when it comes to awarding prizes. Without going any further, Italian goalkeeper Gianluigo Donnarumma was chosen as the best player of the European Championship.

 

 

Kanté's problem is that he was unable to sustain his level in the continental tournament, where France exited in the round of 16 after losing to Switzerland on penalties and before that, in the group stage, the team had failed to live up to expectations. Therefore, the central midfielder seems to be at a disadvantage.

 

 

Another name that stands out is that of Jorginho. The midfielder fulfills the requirements of having given the two most important Olympic laps of the season: he won the Champions League with Chelsea and the European Championship with Italy. His performances were key to the consecration of Roberto Mancini's team to such an extent that several specialists were surprised when UEFA did not choose him as the best

 

 


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