The Ballon d'Or ceremony is a long time away from the current moment but the results of the coming months will have a huge influence on who will get the prize in January 2022.
It was cancelled last season much to Robert Lewandowski's chagrin as the Pole was a huge favourite to win it. Could he do it this year? We believe that as things stand he could.
Here's our view of the Ballon d'Or race as it stands.
1. Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski maintains his top form at Bayern Munich who are cruising through the league despite occasional stuttering and they continue in the Champions League. If Bayern go all the way again, Lewandowski may be forgiven for not winning the German Cup this season as Bayern are already out.
Stats for 2021:
- 22 goals
- 3 assists
- Club World Cup won
Competitions left:
- Bundesliga
- Champions League
- Euro 2020
2. Leo Messi
Leo Messi is not finished yet. If anything, he's in a stellar form even if Barca aren't too consistent this season. He has registered a goal contribution in all of his 12 league games in 2021 as Barcelona remain in contention for La Liga with Atletico Madrid shaking. Sadly for Leo, there's no Champions League football any more.
Stats for 2021:
- 19 goals
- 8 assists
Competitions left:
- La Liga
- Copa del Rey
- 2021 Copa America
3. Kylian Mbappe
Paris Saint-Germain are back on top of the Ligue 1 which means a return to normality for Mbappe's club. Moreover, PSG are in the Champions League quarterfinals. Kylian scored 4 (!) in the Barcelona tie as the Parisians knocked the Catalans out. He did it in Neymar's absence.
Stats for 2021:
- 16 goals
- 2 assists
Competitions left:
- Ligue 1
- Champions League
- Euro 2020
- French Supercup win
4. Erling Haaland
It's almost like Erling Haaland is anything that Borussia Dortmund is not, at least in Bundesliga where the Norwegian's club is only fifth. Haaland keeps shining and carrying his team on his shoulders as they have a distant chance in the Champions League but their next hurdle is Man City.
Stats for 2021:
- 16 goals
- 5 assists
Competitions left:
- Bundesliga
- DFB-Pokal
- Champions League
5. Ilkay Gundogan
For those of you who don't follow the Premier League and Man City, in particular, this is a surprise name. However, it is Ilkay Gundogan and not Kevin De Bruyne or Sergio Aguero who is the chief star of his team this term. What Gundogan does is Aguero's and De Bruyne's jobs combined as he often starts up front scoring a lot of goals but also helps his teammate score.
Stats for 2021:
- 12 goals
- 3 assists
Competitions left:
- Premier League
- FA Cup
- EFL Cup
- Champions League
- Euro 2020
Other top 10 candidates right now
6. Romelu Lukaku – 10 goals, 5 assists in 2021.
7. Cristiano Ronaldo – 14 goals, 3 assists.
8. Bruno Fernandes – 9 goals, 5 assists.
9. Luis Suarez – 11 goals, 1 assist.
10. Karim Benzema – 11 goals, 1 assist.
Note: This is a ranking formulated by Tribuna.com. It has no affiliation to France Football, the outlet that awards the Ballon d'Or.
