Lewandowski, Benzema, Salah, Ronaldo, Messi. Who deserves the Ballon d’Or?

The most important individual award, the Ballon d’Or, is fast approaching. There are five hot candidates, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski and Mohamed Salah. Who is the most deserving?

This year, the Ballon d’Or award may be the most evenly matched in years. It’s no longer just between Ronaldo and Messi, there are several candidates. In addition, it has been 13 years since a player has won the Ballon d’Or who did not play in La Liga.

In fact, between 2008 and 2017, Messi and Ronaldo reigned supreme, in 2018 the award went to Luka Modric of Real Madrid, and a year later Messi won the prestigious trophy again. For 2020, Robert Lewandowski was expected to win the award, but FIFA decided not to announce the winner due to the pandemic season.

The last winner who won the trophy and did not play in La Liga remains Kaká, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2007 as a footballer at AC Milan. The previous two editions were also won by La Liga players, Cannavaro of Real Madrid in 2006 and Ronaldinho of Barcelona in 2005.

But who is most likely to win this year? There are several candidates.

Robert Lewandowski

The Polish sniper missed out on the most prestigious individual award last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. But this year he is also a hot candidate. Last Bundesliga season, he netted 41 goals and broke Gerd Muller’s long-standing record. He scored three times for the national team at the Euros, and has six goals and three assists in seven qualifying matches.

He hasn’t let up in the current season either. He has scored nine goals in eight Bundesliga games and added four goals in two Champions League matches. It’s just a pity that he got injured in the Champions League knockout stage in the spring, if he had scored the goals to win Bayern the trophy, he would have been a clear candidate.

Karim Benzema

An overlooked striker for his entire career, he has finally been getting the attention he deserves in recent months. He netted 23 goals and added 9 assists in La Liga last season and scored six times in the Champions League.

However, he has made the biggest impact in the current season. In 8 league games, he already has an incredible record of 9+7, and he also scored in the Champions League. His return to the national team, where he scored twice for France at the Euros, has also made him one of the favourites for the Ballon d’Or. He also shone at the recent Nations League, scoring in both the semi-final against Belgium and the final against Spain. According to many experts, coaches and former players, it is Benzema who deserves the Ballon d’Or.

Mohamed Salah

There hasn’t been much talk about Salah in the context of the Ballon d’Or, with Jürgen Klopp stirring things up with his statement after the Egyptian’s amazing performance against Watford. In fact, the German coach stated that he believes Salah is the best player in the world.

the 29-year-old winger has really been playing in great form at the start of the season. He has scored 7 goals and 4 assists in 8 games, and he has 3 goals already in the Champions League. He finished last season with a 22+5 record. If he can maintain his great form for the rest of the autumn, he can also make a significant impact on the final standings.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Yes, it hasn’t been an ideal year for Ronaldo as far as the club season is concerned. However, on an individual level, the 36-year-old footballer is still keeping on top. He scored 29 goals in 33 games for Juventus and became the top scorer of Serie A. He also became the top scorer of the Euros, scoring five times in 4 games.

He has been breaking one record after another for the Portuguese national team, and has also caught the eye with a great start to his Manchester United engagement, scoring 5 goals in his first 5 games. He may not be as hot a candidate as in previous years, but he still belongs at the top.

Lionel Messi

Messi is the one with the most Ballon d’Or at home. He has dominated this award 6 times, Ronaldo 5 times. For Barcelona, Messi has scored 30 goals and added 9 assists, scoring five times in the Champions League. Finally, he won an international trophy when he dominated the Copa América with Argentina.

In the eyes of the public and the pundits, however, he may have had a somewhat cold start to his new engagement at PSG, with a 0-0 record in three league games and a shocking 1-1 draw with Club Brugge in the Champions League. He redeemed himself at least partially with a beautiful goal against Manchester City. As far as the public response is concerned, too many independent experts do not fit Messi for this trophy this year.

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