Back to the Manchester City Newsfeed

Messi is the new FAVOURITE but Kante is still in with a shout - a look at the Ballon d'Or candidates

With the completion of the summer tournaments at the weekend, the race for this year's Ballon d'Or - after it's cancellation last year due to Covid-19 - is hotting up.

Lionel Messi, despite an underwhelming season - by his standards - is the new favourite with the bookies after guiding Argentina to the Copa America title and breaking his international major tournament duck.

Yet it is far from a foregone conclusion, after a 2020-21 season full of standout performers across Europe - so who can stop Messi and who are the main men in the running for the 2021 Ballon d'Or?