Ballon d’Or final power rankings: Can Chelsea star win the award?

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 19: N'Golo Kanté of Chelsea celebrates with Romelu Lukaku and Jorginho after scoring hes team 2nd goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 19, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 19: N'Golo Kanté of Chelsea celebrates with Romelu Lukaku and Jorginho after scoring hes team 2nd goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 19, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 05: Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea FC competes for the ball with Karim Benzema of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final Second Leg match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge on May 05, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around Europe remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 05: Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea FC competes for the ball with Karim Benzema of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final Second Leg match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge on May 05, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around Europe remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /

4. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

This one was another tough choice between Karim Benzema of Real Madrid and Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City. On one hand, there is the PFA Player’s Player of the Season for last campaign, but on the other hand, there is one of the best strikers in the world. The latter is also in the form of his life right now. De Bruyne is one of the five people nominated from Manchester City on this year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist, and he has won the PFA Player’s Player of the Season for the second time in a row. He arguably represents the best chance for a City player to win the individual award, but Benzema’s recent records will give the Madrid man an edge.

Benzema could not stop Messi from winning the Pichichi trophy last season, but he was one of the highest-scoring strikers in La Liga. He scored six goals in 10 UCL appearances, as well. He was the sole reason why Madrid was in the title race with Atletico Madrid until the end of the season and he should get some recognition for that. This season, Vinicius Junior has stepped up to assist but Benzema has stepped up his game even more. He has already scored 11 goals in 13 appearances across all competitions and has also provided eight assists so far, as well.

These are incredible stats for a target man and that is why he will definitely end up in the top five positions. Although De Bruyne won the league last season and even took City to the Champions League final, Belgium failed in the Euros again. It also let go of a 2-0 lead against France in the Nations League semifinal. Apart from that, Madrid has been rallying for Benzema to win the Ballon d’Or and although that publicity won’t win him the title, he will surely end up in a very high spot.