Ballon d'Or

The Manchester United star has denied claims that his career ambition is to win the award more times than the Paris Saint-Germain attacker

Welcome to GOAL's coverage of the 2021 Ballon d'Or, where Lionel Messi beat out the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo for an astonish…

The Manchester United star came in sixth in the rankings for the 2021 award as Lionel Messi took the award home for the seventh time

New trophies were given out to the best goalscorer of the year in world football and to the 'best club'

Here's how the winner of this year's highest individual honour was determined

Two years after the last Ballon d'Or was awarded to Lionel Messi, the ceremony has returned to recognise exceptional individual talent in football

The Italy international was taken advantage off as a youngster at Hellas Verona, but could now find himself on the podium for 2021's best footballer

The defender backed his new team-mate to claim the individual prize after many years as rivals

The Blues No.1 is excelling every week on the field for his club but his impact off the field is even more significant

The race to succeed 2019 winner Megan Rapinoe is on, with the best players from around the world all vying for top spot on the podium

France Football is preparing to hand out a prestigious prize in 2021, but the publication’s editor insists no victor has been determined as yet

The Blues star took his exclusion from the individual award in his stride and he plans to just continue what he has always done

The France star wants to add his name to the list of Real Madrid stars to have claimed the award

The Blues' shot-stopper did not make the 30-man shortlist for the biggest individual prize in world football despite a stellar year between the sticks

The Manchester United star faces tough competition for the prize this year but his agent is convinced he deserves to win it

Barca star Caroline Graham Hansen was surprisingly overlooked for the annual award in the latest in a string of concerning calls for the women's game

From Lionel Messi to Jorginho, from Cristiano Ronaldo to Harry Kane, here are all the possible contenders to win this year's Ballon d'Or

The Italy boss is convinced that a Champions League and European Championship winner should be the obvious choice to land a Golden Ball in 2021

While 30 of the world's best players will fight it out for football's most prestigious individual award, there are some who are unlucky to miss out

With France Football having taken a coronavirus-enforced break in 2020, anticipation is building ahead of the next awarding of a Golden Ball

Belgium face Italy in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals on Friday as a 'golden generation' of players again attempts to win a piece of major silverware

The Brazil international moved to France to win the individual prize, but he has yet to write himself into the history books in that way

Her phenomenal performances on the pitch last year have been followed by passionate championing off it in a year unlike any in recent memory

Robert Lewandowski was the frontrunner in Europe this season, but he won't be lifting the prestigious Ballon d'Or trophy this year

The Cameroonian star was left frustrated after not being recognised as a striker by France Football

While the prize for the best footballer of 2020 will not be handed out due to Covid-19, who would've been the favourite if it hadn't been cancelled?

The battle for the game's most prestigious individual honour is only likely to intensify in the future, given the elevated status it allows the winner

The Liverpool defender had been backed by many to claim football's ultimate individual prize in 2019 but was beaten out by the Argentine

The 28-year-old has been backed as a winner of the game's biggest individual prize - but only if PSG can land a major title