It seems as if the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will soon come to an end. For more than a decade, these 2 names have been dominating the discussion of who is the best footballer.
Lionel Messi still won the Ballon dOr but many felt that the award should have been given to Robert Lewandowski. Cristiano Ronaldo did not make it to the top 5 and this is only the 2nd time since 2007 when he didn’t make it.
It’s a sign of changing times and it feels as if the time for a new generation has come. Young star players are already emerging to challenge Ronaldo and Messi’s Supremacy. This year candidates like Mbappe and Donnarumma represented the younger generation.
Although there still is a long way to go for them to be called the best players in the game. Our list features names that you would have heard before and will possibly hear again next year this time around.
Our List of Top 3 Best Footballers of 2021Â
1) Robert LewandowskiÂ
It seems as if whatever Lewandowski does he just cannot get his hands on the grand prize. In the 20-21 season, Lewandowski was the best player without a doubt but then the award was scrapped.
The reason we are saying that he is the best player in 2021 is that his current form has been sensational. The parameters for the Ballon d’Or award do not fully take into consideration a player’s current performance.
This does seem kind of unfair because in the 2021-22 season Lewandowski has left Messi in the dust. He already has 30 goals to his name in just 25 appearances for the club while Messi has just 10.
If you look at last season’s statistics Lewandowski was 10 goals ahead and had just 5 assists lesser than Lionel Messi. Messi probably won because of winning the Copa America but if you talk in terms of individual performance Lewandoski seems to have outworked him.
2) Lionel MessiÂ
It’s hard to keep Lionel Messi away from the top 5 players of the year list. Since 2007 he has featured in the top 5 of the Ballon dOr rankings every year. It is a treat for the eyes to see the little magician work.
His performance has been so consistent over the years that it feels as if he’s doing it all effortlessly. Messi will arguably be the best player who has ever featured in this beautiful game of ours.
He had 38 goals and 14 assists to his name in the last campaign and even led Argentina to a Copa America trophy. Many would argue that Lionel Messi should have been at number one but considering how well he has played over the years, last year was probably not his best one.
3) Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema has led the way from the front for Real Madrid. It was a very tough decision to choose between him and Jorginho. The only problem for Benzema was that he did not win anything with Real Madrid last season.
But that does not mean we should sideline his contributions. Benzema had a tally of 30 goals and 9 assists for Madrid last season and it was his performance that kept Madrid in the title race.
The Frenchman is firing on full cylinders this season too whereas Jorginho on the other hand hasn’t been that impressive. Karim saw the opportunity and took the responsibility of becoming the leader of the team when they most needed him which is why he is at the 3rd position on our list instead of the Italian craftsman.
 Robert Lewandowski 2) Lionel Messi 3) Karim Benzema){kind=link}