Ballon d’Or: Top 5 deserving players who did not make the nominees list

Ballon d’Or: Top 5 deserving players who did not make the nominees list

The 2021 Ballon d’Or nominations are out and just like every year, it has got everyone talking about players who should and who should not be there. The list has the highest players from Chelsea and Manchester City, five each, but surprisingly just one from German champions Bayern Munich.

Last year, the ceremony was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many believed that Robert Lewandowski was robbed off the award. This time, he has come all guns blazing again and leads the list of probable players, followed by the likes of Lionel Messi, Jorginho and N’golo Kante.

While the list separated everyone’s views for who should and should not be there in the list, let us look at five players who were wrongly snubbed from the list.

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5. Antonio Rudiger

Ever since Chelsea appointed Thomas Tuchel, Rudiger has benefited the most and has been one of the most fundamental players in the rise of the London club making him a probable nominee in the Ballon d’Or race. Rudiger cemented his place in the left side of the three-men defense for Chelsea and also got into the starting XI of the German National team during the EURO 2020. Rudiger has been one of the key factors in the recent clean sheet run for Chelsea, and his tackling has been the among the best in the world.

4. Marquinhos

Marquinhos has definitely been one of the best center backs in the world for 3-4 years now and considering the COPA America run and PSG getting into the semi finals of the Champions League, Marquinhos should not have been snubbed from the list. Leaving aside the success of the teams he plays in; the PSG captain individually has been pivotal in scoring clutch goals and being a rock-solid leader in the team doing enough to at least get into the Ballon d’Or nominees list.

3. Federico Chiesa

It is outright baffling that Chiesa does not feature in the list of the probable 30 players to win the Ballon d’Or as the youngster has been the brightest shining star in football currently. Chiesa was pivotal for Juventus last season, coming close second to Ronaldo as the most impactful player, and helped Italy win the EURO by scoring winners in very important situations. The player has been an engine and his versatility in the attack is outstanding and should have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or.

2. Joshua Kimmich

Kimmich not getting into the list is again very controversial and this decision of leaving the Bayern Munich defender out of the nominations has fans questioning the knowledge of the panel. Kimmich has undoubtedly been the second-best player for Bayern Munich and since Flick’s arrival in the National team, he has also gotten the captain’s armband. Kimmich has played as a defensive midfielder, right back and right wing back this year, excelling in all positions.

1. Jan Oblak

It won’t be a stretch if it is said that Jan Oblak has been the best goalkeeper in the world this year as he did not only win the league title this season, but also held the highest no. of clean sheets. Oblak has been the core of Atletico’s clean sheet record for the past 3-4 years and his saves and reflexes still remain very underrated in the footballing community. The fact that there is only one goalkeeper in the top 30 list portrays the panel’s rating of goalkeepers.

Also read: Top 5 of the highest earning football managers in the world