Ballon d’Or 2021 LIVE as Lionel Messi beats Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho for award

One more time for the winners!

Congratulations to Lionel Messi and Alexia Putellas, the triumphant pair at the 2021 Ballon d’Or.

Yashin Trophy: Gigi Donnarumma

Kopa Trophy: Pedri

Striker of the Year: Robert Lewandowski

Club of the Year: Chelsea

Lionel Messi emerged victorious at the Ballon d’Or 2021 ceremony in Paris on Monday night - then told the organisers they should turn the clocks back and deal out the award they failed to last year.

A year ago, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski was the heavy favourite to win, but the ongoing pandemic meant France Football opted not to hand out the title at all while they couldn’t hold the ceremony and football had been played behind closed doors for the most part.

Messi won his seventh title in the game’s biggest individual honour, with Lewandowski ultimately finishing runner-up this year - though he was the recipient of another award, with the newly created Striker of the Year going to the Poland international.

In his acceptance speech of the big prize, Messi had a word for the Bayern star and told the hosts should act now where they opted against 12 months back.

Full report below:

Gianluigi Donnarumma has won the Yashin Trophy, awarded to the world’s best goalkeeper this year at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris.

Italy’s No1 played a starring role in their Euro 2020 triumph with crucial penalty shootout saves and kept a miserly defensive record throughout the competition, and he was named the Player of the Tournament. His club form has been less impressive, however, making only made a handful of appearances so far since swapping AC Milan for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer due to injury and the form of Keylor Navas.

Donnarumma, 22, fought off competition from Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy, who has been outstanding under Thomas Tuchel and kept goal as the Blues won last season’s Champions League, as well as helping them to the top of the Premier League this season with only five goals conceded.

Chelsea have been named as the first winners of the new Club of the Year award at the Ballon d’Or 2021 ceremony.

The Blues had a number of individuals all aiming for awards in their respective categories, which highlighted how well both the men’s and women’s teams had fared in their respective seasons. None of their stars ultimately won but consolation came in being handed the club-wide award for their on-pitch efforts.

Full report below:

Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski has received the first Striker of the Year award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

The new award was announced just before the shortlist ranking started to be revealed, with Club of the Year also handed out for the first time at this year’s event.

Lewandowski’s free-scoring consistency made him a favourite to win the 2020 Ballon d’Or which was ultimately cancelled, and he was similarly among the contenders to win this year’s award before Messi claimed the prize.

Full report:

Barcelona and Spain prodigy Pedri has won the prestigious Kopa Trophy, presented to the best young player in men’s football, at the Ballon d’Or 2021 awards ceremony.

Pedri, who turned 19 last week, enjoyed a breakthrough season in the Barcelona first team, featuring in 37 of their 38 league matches, and established himself in the Spanish national team too, displaying supreme technique and balance on the ball reminiscent of one of his idols, Andres Iniesta.

He was voted Young Player of the Tournament at this summer’s European Championship and was the only Spanish player to be named in the Euros’ Team of the Tournament, before going on to play at the Olympic Games too. In total, Pedri played a remarkable 73 matches for club and country in the 2020-21 season.

Full report below:

Chelsea to Catalunya, Paris to Bavaria. The winners are celebrating and their families, team-mates and supporters are joining in too!

Alexia Putellas has won the women’s Ballon d’Or after a sensational year for Barcelona in which she helped the team to a dominant treble.

Putellas was instrumental in the success of Barcelona Femeni as they won the Spanish league, cup and Champions League. The 27-year-old midfielder, who regularly wore the captain’s armband during the 2020-21 season, scored in both cup finals and her calendar year has included 37 goals and 27 assists to date.

Full report below:

Lionel Messi has won the men’s 2021 Ballon d’Or, and a record seventh trophy, at an awards ceremony in Paris on Monday evening.

Messi, 34, held off the challenge of Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema and Chelsea’s Jorginho to collect the prize and move two clear in his long-running battle with five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who was among the 30 players shortlisted but did not feature in the top three for the first time in 11 years.

Messi was the favourite to collect the award after winning the Copa America with Argentina earlier this year – his first major international trophy – despite one of his less impressive periods at club level: Barcelona finished third in La Liga and fell in the first knockout round of the Champions League. However, Messi scored two goals as Barca won the Copa del Rey final and he was La Liga’s top goalscorer once more, before switching to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

Lewandowski did pick up the consolation prize of the newly formed Striker of the Year award, while the Women’s Ballon d’Or went to Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas.

Full report:

Lionel Messi had a message for the runner-up tonight, too:

“Everyone knows and we all agree you were the winner last year. Hopefully [France Football] give you the Ballon d’Or 2020.”

Suppose the alternative is that they both go and score 50 goals each again in 2022 and we battle it all out once more in 12 months’ time...