Today we will find out the winner of the Golden Ball! Who has the best chance of winning?

After a one-year hiatus, the Golden Ball Awards are back again. The most prestigious football poll will reveal who was the best footballer in the world in 2021. And by all accounts, it’s set to be a duel between Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.

Since 2008, we have been watching the dominance of two footballers that has only been interrupted once. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have shared the Ballon d’Or between them, and in 2018 Luka Modric claimed the trophy. A year later, Messi won the award again, and for 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Ballon d’Or was not presented.

And this marked the most Robert Lewandowski, who was the main favorite to win this prestigious award. Indeed, he should be this year as well, with many fans and experts seeing him as the leading candidate.

The second favourite is Lionel Messi, while Karim Benzema should be the third. That’s roughly what the predictions look like, somewhere even results have reportedly come out saying Lionel Messi won.

Voting closed on 24 November and today, Monday 29 November, at 9pm, there will be an award ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet.

How is the Ballon d’Or voted for?

The editors of France Football will propose the 30 candidates they think are most deserving to win the Ballon d’Or. 180 journalists from all over the world then vote for 5 players. These players get 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 points. Fifty specialist journalists then choose the best female footballer in the world.

What are the voting criteria?

Players are ranked logically according to their performances, statistics such as goals scored and assists are also considered, as well as the leadership of their team. Secondly, the titles won and how important the player was in those trophies are considered. The public image of the player himself both on and off the field is also taken into consideration.

And then there are two things that are harder to judge. And those are personal popularity and player marketing. There are often debates that evaluation is subjective and those debates will flare up again this year, it’s inevitable.

Especially if Lionel Messi actually wins the trophy, which many fans and experts disagree with. He is clearly one of the best footballers on the planet, but it is hard to argue that he was actually the best this year.

His move to PSG, where he took longer to acclimatise, didn’t help him much. He scored his last league goal for Barcelona in May, then didn’t score in the league until November 20. At the time the voting closed, he had a 1+0 record in the league and 3+0 in the Champions League. And the Ballon d’Or is given for the whole of 2021, not for one half year. So for the trophy to go to someone who scored 4 goals in the second half of the year seems a bit odd.

Source: Marca, Livesport