Here’s the list of 19 Ballon d’Or nominees, who aren’t there on FIFA’s best 2021 shortlist.
1: Luka Modric: This Croatian star played a huge role in leading Croatia to the 2022 cup qualification. He’s the winner of the 2018 Ballon d’Or and The Best Award. Even at 36, he can take his place on the world’s best list. However, trophies with Real Madrid are lacking.
2: Pedri: The 2021 Golden Boy and Euro 2020 Best Young player, is an amazing starter for FC Barcelona and Spain.
3: Luis Suarez: Another name on the amazing list. With his 21 goals, he led Atletico Madrid to lift the La Liga title.
4: Gerard Moreno: He had a massive role to play in Villarreal’s 2021 Europa league win.
5: Romelu Lukaku: A prominent name in European football, Lukaku helped to break Juventus’ dominance in Italian football to lift Serie A.
6: Gianluigi Donnarumma: The only goalkeeper nominated in the Ballon d’Or list is Donnarumma. He earned the best player award at Euro 2020.
7: Bruno Fernandez: He’s been simply phenomenal since his entry to Manchester United.
8: Riyad Mahrez: He had a great season with Manchester City that helped him get the nomination for Ballon d’Or.
9: Leonardo Bonucci: He played a massive role in Italy’s defence in the 2020 Euro.
10: Mason Mount: A great season for him, helping Chelsea win the Champions League.
11: Harry Kane: Kane played a significant role in helping England reach the 2020 Euro finals.
12: Raheem Sterling: One of the brilliant names in the Manchester City squad and England.
13: Nicolo Barella: An exceptional season for the star midfielder, who won Serie A alongside Inter and Euro 2020 with Italy.
14: Giorgio Chiellini: Chiellini, the Italian inspirational captain, became a European champion.
15: Ruben Dias: City’s best player last season was Ruben Dias, the Portuguese centre-back star.
16: Lautaro Martinez: Martinez didn’t have an impressive goal record but helped Inter in Serie A win, and played a huge role in Argentina’s Copa America success.
17: Cesar Azpilicueta: The Chelsea captain was a key in the team’s Champions League win.
18: Simon Kjaer: He had a decent season with AC Milan and an amazing Euro 2020. Kjaer displayed his true leadership character during the Christian Eriksen event.
19: Phil Foden: He had been phenomenal on the European stage and can surely be included in both the lists in the upcoming years.
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