After a long wait, Argentina and PSG forward Lionel Messi won the prestigious individual award Ballon d'Or for the year 2021 on Monday (November 29) night in Paris. This is his seventh Ballon d'Or award. He was the recipient of this individual honour in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2019. Cristiano Ronaldo has won this award second-most five times after Lionel Messi. The Argentine forward defeated Polish striker Lewandowski by 33 points to be named the Ballon d'Or 2021 Winner. Let’s have a look at the winners of the gala event.

The Ballon d'Or Gala Event Winners

Aside from the Ballon d'Or, France Football magazine also gave out individual awards to several categories. Ballon d'Or Feminin, Kopa Trophy, Yashin Trophy, Best Striker of the Year, and Best Club of the Year are among the honours.

Ballon d'Or 2021

Journalists, national team leaders, and coaches gave Lionel Messi of PSG the most votes (613 points). Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich finished second with 580 points, followed by Italian midfielder Jorginho (460), who won EURO 2020 and the Champions League 2021. French striker of Real Madrid, Karim Benzema (239) came in fourth, while defensive midfielder for Chelsea, N'Golo Kante (186) came in fifth. Among the top ten, Cristiano Ronaldo was sixth in the poll, followed by Mohamed Salah, Kevin de Bruyne, Kylian Mbappe, and Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Also Read: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo: Who made the strongest start with the new clubs?

Ballon d'Or 2021 (Top 3)

   Source: https://www.francefootball.fr/ballon-d-or/ 

Ballon d'Or Feminin

Alexia Putellas of Barcelona won the Feminin Ballon d'Or 2021. She was awarded the highest points of 186. Her clubmate Jennifer Hermoso came in second with 84 points, followed by Sam Kerr of Australia.  

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Feminin Ballon d'Or 2021 (Top 3)

   Source: https://www.francefootball.fr/ballon-d-or/

Kopa Trophy

The Kopa award is presented to the most promising young player in the world. We have seen a number of young players thrive with their respective clubs and nations this year. Spanish midfielder for Barcelona Pedri won the prize with the highest 89 points. Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund came in second with 39 points, followed by Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich with 38 points.

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Kopa Trophy (Top 3)

   Source: https://www.francefootball.fr/ballon-d-or/

Yashin Trophy

The Yashin trophy is awarded to the best goalie from the previous year. There are several deserving nominees for this honour this year. However, Italy's young goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma beat out everyone with 594 points. Edouard Mendy of Chelsea came in second with 404 points, while Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid came in third.

Also Read: Ballon d'Or 2021: Meet the Nominees

Yashin Trophy (Top 3)

   Source: https://www.francefootball.fr/ballon-d-or/

Best Striker of the Year

Bayern Munich's Polish striker Robert Lewandowski was unable to win the Ballon d'Or 2021, but he did not go home empty-handed. Lewandowski was named the top striker of the year with a total of 59 points. This Polish forward has been in excellent form for the past two seasons and deserves to be recognized for his efforts.

Best Club of the Year

After a poor start to the season, Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea won the Champions League in 2021. This London-based English team rightly received the France football magazine's best club of the year award.

Also Read: Ballon d'Or 2021: Five favorites to win the coveted award

Bottom Line

Lionel Messi helped Argentina win the Copa America 2021 after a 28-year wait. He was outstanding at the South American Championship in 2021, and also had a fantastic season with FC Barcelona in 2020/2021. While Robert Lewandowski, who finished second, had a tremendous season with FC Bayern Munich. However, the majority of voters picked Lionel Messi as Ballon d'Or 2021 Winner.