Paris Saint-German forward Lionel Messi won arguably the most prestigious individual honor in soccer with the awarding of the 2021 Ballon d’Or. Messi now has two more Ballon d’Or awards than Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United.
In July, Messi played a pivotal role in leading Argentina to the Copa America title. He was also the Spanish league’s top scorer and led Barca to their 31st Copa del Rey title. Surprisingly, Messi ended his 21-year tenure with FC Barcelona in August to join PSG.
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski finished second after being the favorite to win last year’s award. France Football cancelled the 2020 award ceremony due to the lack of soccer played during the pandemic. Lewandowski broke the Bundesliga single-season goal record in May and was named the inaugural Striker of the Year. He also took home the European Golden Boot, another prestigious honor in international soccer. That’s quite a collection of consolation prizes for the Ballon d’Or runner-up.
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On the women’s side, Spanish midfielder Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d’Or Feminin. Putellas was instrumental in Barcelona’s victories in the Spanish League, Champions League, and Spanish Cup. She contributed 37 goals and 27 assists in a remarkable year for the 27-year-old. Barcelona teammate Jennifer Hermoso finished second in the race. This is just the third awarding of the Ballon d’Or Feminin. Previously, Norway’s Ada Hegerberg won in 2018 and Megan Rapinoe won the following year.
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