The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious football award in the world which every football star looks forward to every year. The award which was founded by a French publication, France Football, has been awarding the best in the game for the past 64 years.
In the 63rd edition, the perennial winner of the award, Lionel Messi went home with the coveted football prize for a record six times. Unfortunately for his rivals, the 64th edition which should have taken place in 2020 was canceled due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic which interrupted the free flow of the game for over four months.
Though there would not be Ballon d’Or in 2020, FutballNews has taken the pain of scrutinizing those who would have won the award if it wasn’t canceled.
The yardsticks of the scrutiny are based on the performance of individual players in the top 5 leagues in Europe – Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1, couple with their contribution to the success of their teams in continental tournaments especially the UEFA Champions League since there was no major international competition throughout the year.
Below are players who would have made it into the top 10 Ballon d’Or power rankings if the award was not canceled.
- Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)
Achievements:
- Captained Liverpool to win their first Premier League title
- Won FWA Footballer of the Year
- Led Liverpool to the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League
- Scored a total of 4 goals and made 5 assists as a Central-Midfielder
If not for anything, Jordan Henderson would have been in the heart of the judges who would have decided on the finalists of the 2020 Ballon d’Or, for leading Liverpool to a Premier League title. The 30-year-old England international showed leadership throughout the 2019-2020 Premier League season to ensure that Liverpool ended the season with their first Premier League title in 30 years. His contribution to the success of Liverpool was recognized as he was awarded the best player in the Premier League this season.
- Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
Achievements
- Captained Real Madrid to win the Spanish La Liga title
- Captained the team to win the Supercopa de España
- Led the team to the round of 16 finish in the UEFA Champions League
- Scored a total of 13 goals as a defender and made one assist.
Though Sergio Ramos has clocked 34-year-old, the Spain international still remains one of the most important players at Real Madrid. No judge of the Ballon d’Or that would not have considered him if they had selected the finalists of the 2020 Ballon d’Or. His contribution to the Real Madrid team was enough to earn them two titles in the season under review.
- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Achievements
- Led Manchester City to win the Carabao Cup
- Led them to finish second on the Premier League table
- Won Premier League player of the Season
- Won the Premier League playmaker of the season
- Equaled Henry’s record by making 20 assists in the Premier League this season
- Led Manchester City to the quarter-final stage of the UEFA Champions League
Arguably, Kevin De Bruyne was the best player in the Premier League this season. The 29-year-old Belgium international had one of the best seasons of his career in terms of individual input. It would be almost impossible for any Ballon d’Or judge to ignore him if the award wasn’t canceled. In the season under review, De Bruyne scored a total of 16 goals and made a total of 23 assists.
- Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Achievements
- Won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich
- Won the DFB-Pokal
- Made 21 assists in the German Bundesliga
- In the UEFA Champions League semi-final with Bayern
Thomas Muller is one of the engine rooms of Bayern Munich. He has participated in almost all the goals the club scored in the Bundesliga in the season under review. The 30-year-old Germany international has scored a total of 14 goals and has made a total of 26 assists for Bayern in the season under review. His team is the favorite to win the Champions League after thrashing Barcelona 8-1 to knock them out of the tournament in the quarter-finals.
- Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Achievements
- Led Barcelona to a second-place finish in La Liga
- Highest Goalscorer in La Liga
- Led Barcelona to a quarter-final finish in the Champions League
- Made a total of 26 assists and scored a total of 31 goals
Lionel Messi has the record of winning the Ballon d’Or a record 6 times. The season under review was difficult for his team but as usual, he gave a good account of himself. The 33-year-old Argentina international scored a total of 31 goals but could not help his team to win any trophy for the first time since he joined the senior team. However, he would have made the final cut of the Ballon d’Or based on how far his contributions took his team.
- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Achievement
- Won the Spanish La Liga title
- Won the Supercopa de España
- Real Madrid’s highest goalscorer
- Scored 27 goals and made 11 assists
- Led Real Madrid to UEFA Champions League round of 16
Karim Benzema was instrumental in ensuring that Real Madrid won La Liga. In the league alone, the French football star scored 21 goals and made 8 assists to ensure the league title is theirs. Indeed, no Ballon d’Or judge would have ignored him if they had decided on the Ballon d’Or finalists this year.
- Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
Achievements
- Won the Ligue 1
- Won the Coupe de la Ligue
- Won the Coupe de France
- In UEFA Champions League semi-final
- Scored 19 goals and made 11 assists
Neymar is having the best time of his career so far. The most expensive player in the world has been so impactful in the Paris Saint Germain team in the canceled French Ligue 1 season. Before the league was canceled, he scored 13 goals and made 6 assists in 15 appearances which means that he would have scored more if he had more playing time. Beyond France, he has been leading PSG in the Champions League in Lisbon. His 3 goals and 3 assists in 5 Champions League matches have helped his team to the semi-finals stage of the competition.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Achievements
- Won the Serie A
- Played in two Cup finals
- Scored a club record 31 goals in the league
- Scored a total of 37 goals and made 7 assists
- Led his team to the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been a regular in the Ballon d’Or in the last 12 years. The 35-year-old Portugal international was indispensable for Juventus as he scored a whopping 31 goals to help then win their 9th Serie A title in a row. He did his best to qualify the team for the quarter-finals of the Champions League but his two goals against Lyon in the second leg of the round of 16 were not enough to see the club through. However, he would have been a strong contender to win the Ballon d’Or this year which would have made it his 6th.
- Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Achievements
- Won the Ligue 1
- Won the Coupe de la Ligue
- Won the Coupe de France
- In UEFA Champions League semi-final
- French Ligue 1 highest goalscorer
- Scored a total of 30 goals and made 19 assists
Kylian Mbappe is arguably the best player at Paris Saint Germain in the season under review. He dominated the French Ligue 1 until the season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the Champions League alone, the 21-year-old France international has scored 5 goals and has made 6 assists in 8 games which are enough to push the club to the semi-finals of the European competition.
- Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Achievements
- Won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich
- Won the DFB-Pokal
- Won Bundesliga highest goalscorer award
- Scored 52 goals and made 9 assists
- In the UEFA Champions League semi-final with Bayern
Arguably, there is no footballer that deserves the canceled Ballon d’Or as much as 31-year-old Poland striker Robert Lewandowski. All the indices are in his favor to win the prestigious football award if it was no canceled. He has contributed heavily in all the successes Bayern Munich have been enjoying throughout the season under review. He scored a whopping 34 goals and made 4 assists to help the team win their 8th Bundesliga title. He is on the verge of leading the German team to land their third title of the season in Lisbon, where the Champions League final rounds are taking place.
