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The much-awaited Ballon d'Or 2021 ceremony will be held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday, November 29. Coverage for the mega event will begin on Tuesday, November 30, in India.
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Lionel Messi, the current holder and a record six-time winner, is the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or award for the seventh time after his exploits handed Argentina the Copa America title - their first international silverware since 1993.
Robert Lewandowski, who was denied the chance to win the Ballon d'Or in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, will be a stiff competitor for Messi.
The Poland star scored 25 goals and two assists in 19 appearances across all competitions this term. Perhaps, what could aid Lewandowski's chances of a win is him breaking Gerd Müller's 49-year-old record of most goals in a single Bundesliga campaign (40) after he netted his 41st goal on the final match-day of the 2020-21 campaign.
Next three top list- Ballon d'Or 2021
The next contender in the top three list looks like Chelsea's Jorginho, who could become the first Italian footballer since Fabio Cannavaro (2006) to take home the golden ball. The midfielder played a crucial role for both club and country, as he won the UEFA Champions League & UEFA Super Cup with Chelsea in 2020-21 while anchoring Italy to the Euro 2020 title - the Azzurri's first since 1968.
Read also: FIFA World Ranking November: Argentina boost to top 5
The Ballon d'Or Feminin award ceremony will follow the Ballon d'Or ceremony. Barcelona Femeni captain Alexia Putellas is among the five players from her club in the 20-player shortlist for the trophy and is the favourite to claim it after leading Barcelona to the treble (Primera División, Copa de la Reina and Women's Champions League) last season.
Australian star Sam Kerr is Alexia's competition for the Ballon d'Or Feminin trophy. The Chelsea forward is the only female football player to have won the Golden Boot in three different leagues – W-League in Australia (2017–18, 2018–19), the NWSL in the USA (2017, 2018, 2019) and the FAWSL in England (2020–21) – after she led the Blues to a record fourth league title.