Simon Kjaer and Jorginho among this year’s Ballon d’Or nominees

It’s the most prestigious individual award a player can win

France Football have revealed the men and women who have been nominated for the 2021 Ballon d’Or award.

The award, which is given to the year’s best footballer, was cancelled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The last winner of the award was Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi, who won it in 2019 for a sixth time.

Just under half of this year’s men’s nominees come from the Premier League, with Jorginho – who is tipped my many to have a strong chance of winning the award – taking place on the list alongside fellow Chelsea players Mason Mount, César Azpilicueta, Romelu Lukaku and N’Golo Kante.

Manchester United’s Portuguese duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes have been nominated, with Manchester City players Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez, Ruben Dias and Kevin De Bruyne also on the list.

The other Premier League players who have been nominated are Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane.

Denmark defender Simon Kjaer has also been nominated, who enjoyed an impressive season with AC Milan as well as a strong Euro 2020 campaign, where he demonstrated heroic actions in the part he played in saving Christian Eriksen’s life.

As well as Jorginho, four of Italy’s Euro 2020 winning squad have received nominations, with Nicolò Barella, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Gianluigi Donnarumma on the list.

La Liga stars Luis Suarez, Pedri, Gerard Moreno, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema have all been nominated.

PSG’s dynamic front three – Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe – are all on the list.

Bundesliga strikers Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski have also received nominations.

Argentina and Inter Milan frontman Lautaro Martínez has also been rewarded for an impressive year and finds himself on the nominees list.

Here are the first 20 nominees for the Men’s #ballondor pic.twitter.com/tIHav6s9gx

— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) October 8, 2021

For the women’s award, England and Manchester City forward Ellen White has been nominated, as well as England and Chelsea striker Fran Kirby.

Premier League players Samantha Mewis, Pernille Harder, Vivianne Miedema, Jessie Fleming, Sam Kerr and Magdalena Eriksson have also been nominated. 

The full list of 20 nominees for the 2021 Women’s Ballon d’or is:

• Ellen White
• Christiane Endler
• Jennifer Hermoso
• Fran Kirby
• Kadidiatou Diani
• Alexia Putellas
• Magdalena Eriksson
• Marie-Antoinette Katoto
• Sam Kerr
• Stina Blackstenius
• Wendie Renard
• Samantha Mewis
• Pernille Harder
• Vivianne Miedema
• Sandra Panos
• Lieke Martens
• Jessie Fleming
• Irene Paredes
• Ashley Lawrence
• Christine Sinclair

Here are the 20 nominees for the 2021 Women’s #ballondor! pic.twitter.com/Uh0RHQPdCq

— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) October 8, 2021

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