Alexia Putellas has won the Ballon d’Or as the world’s best female soccer player. Karim Benzema is the favorite for men.
Alexia Putellas thus defended her title. The German Vice European Champions Alexandra Popp and Lena Oberdorf were also nominated. There were also three players from European champions England to choose from.
France international Karim Benzema is the clear favorite for the men. Joshua Kimmich and Antonio Rüdiger, two German soccer professionals, were also nominated for the prestigious prize, which has been awarded since 8.30 p.m. at a gala in the French capital. According to the interim results, both were out of the race early.
These prizes will be awarded:
- Ballon d’Or: best player
- Ballon d’Or feminine: best player – Alexia Putellas (FC Barcelona/Spain)
- Yashin Trophy: best goalkeeper
- Kopa Trophy: Best U21 Player – Gavi (FC Barcelona/Spain)
- Müller Trophy: Goalscorer of the Year
New mode: Season applies, not the calendar year
The Golden Ball has been published annually since 1956 by the trade journal France Football forgive. The winner was initially considered “Europe’s footballer of the year”, since 2007 the world’s best kicker has been chosen in competition with FIFA’s world footballer’s choice (since 1991). From 2010 to 2015, the newspaper and the world association cooperated in the selection of the world footballer, since 2016 two different prizes have been awarded.
The Ballon d’Or organizers have responded to criticism of the 2021 award and changed the mode. For the first time, it is no longer the performance of a calendar year that is evaluated, but of a European football season. Therefore, the award will now take place in October. 100 journalists can vote, one from each country in the top 100 in the FIFA world rankings.
Lewandowski bets on Benzema
30 professionals are nominated for the men. Record winner Lionel Messi is missing from the list for the first time since 2005. “If they don’t cancel it again”, Benzema (Real Madrid) will probably be chosen, joked Robert Lewandowski, who was also nominated.
European Footballer of the Year: Karim Benzema celebrates with the UEFA Supercup.
He was alluding to the year 2020, when the election was canceled due to the corona pandemic and the Pole was deprived of the prestigious prize. Last year Messi won for the seventh time, Lewandowski was second.
Benzema with spectacular Champions League appearances
Benzema also receives support from his club Real Madrid. “I hope he wins the Ballon d’Or, we’ll congratulate him because in a way it’s a Ballon d’Or for us too,” said coach Carlo Ancelotti after the 3-1 (2-0) win over archrival FC Barcelona.
Last season he was the top scorer in the Spanish Primera Division with 27 goals. Above all, however, his twelve goals in the Champions League were remembered. Among other things, he had on the way to the title against Paris Saint-Germain and the Chelsea FC scored three packs each.
Benzema won the European Footballer of the Year vote at the end of August, and Putellas won the women’s vote.
Under-21 award goes to Barcelona’s Gavi
The Kopa Trophy for the best U21 player went to FC Barcelona’s Gavi. The 18-year-old prevailed against nine other nominated players, including Jamal Musiala (FC Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen), Karim Adeyemi (2021/22 Red Bull Salzburg, now Borussia Dortmund), Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig) and Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund).
In the goalkeeper choice (Jaschin trophy), Manuel Neuer and Kevin Trapp are likely to lose out to Thibaut Courtois from Champions League winner Real.
Sadio Mané from FC Bayern Munich also received the “Socrates Award” for his social commitment.