Ballon d’Or LIVE: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo among favourites for award

Can N'Golo Kante win a Ballon D'or?

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Lionel Messi is the hot favourite to win the seventh Ballon d’Or of his glittering career when the ceremony for the prestigious award takes place in Paris tonight. There are a total of 30 players in the running, including 14 Premier League stars such as Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and England and Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount.

Yet it is Messi who has the shortest odds with most bookmakers following a superb 2021 in which he often single-handedly carried Barcelona before his move to PSG and also guided Argentina to a Copa America triumph in the summer.

But Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski may feel aggrieved if he once again misses out on the prize, with the Pole having netted a sensational 41 goals in the Bundesliga last season.

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema and Chelsea’s Jorginho are two of the other outsiders to take home the trophy, but the reality is that it will now come as a big surprise if Messi is not the winner.

The Ballon d’Or ceremony returns tonight after being cancelled in 2020 due to Covid, and you can expect to see some of the most famous faces from the world of football present at Paris’ Theatre du Chatelet.

Follow all the latest from the French capital right here…

Ballon d’Or LIVE

  • Lionel Messi hot favourite to claim a seventh win
  • 14 Premier League stars in the running
  • Ceremony gets underway in Paris at 7.30pm

Modric No29, Kane No23 and Fernandes No21

Even though the ceremony doesn’t commence until 7:30pm, France Football have been counting down towards the top 10 nominees this afternoon.

2018 winner Luka Modric is joint-29th with Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta, while Nicolo Barella, Gerard Moreno and 2020/21 Premier League Player of the Season Ruben Dias are joint-26th.

Exciting starlets Phil Foden and Pedri are 25th and 24th respectively, England captain Harry Kane is 23rd and Bruno Fernandes is joint-21st with Lautaro Martinez.

Lewandowski has arrived

Robert Lewandowski has made his fashionable arrival after cruelly missing out on last year’s award due to a COVID-19 cancellation.

But with murmurs of a new goalscoring-related award launching tonight, I have a feeling he’s not leaving Paris empty-handed…

Magic night for Messi?

We’re just under one hour away from the 2021 Ballon d’Or ceremony commencing in the city of romance, Paris.

And Messi’s romance with the Ballon d’Or could continue tonight, with the Argentine icon widely expected to receive the seventh of his illustrious career.

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