Ballon d'Or Power Rankings: September 2021

#7 Erling Haaland (Norway/Borussia Dortmund)

Haaland has scored 11 goals and provided four assists in just eight appearances across all competitions so far this term. He had scored 41 goals and provided 12 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions for Borussia Dortmund in the 2020-21 season.Halaand also won the DFB Pokal title with the Bundesliga outfit last term and looks set to have yet another incredible season.

#6 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)

In the 2020-21 season, he was Real Madrid's best player, scoring 30 goals and providing nine assists in 46 appearances across all competitions. He has worked his way back into the race for the Ballon d'Or on pure individual merit.In the new season, Benzema has scored a whopping eight goals and provided seven assists in just seven appearances so far. Benzema is one of the best strikers of his generation and looks to be playing at the peak of his powers despite being 33-years-old.

#5 N'Golo Kante (France/Chelsea)

UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Year N'Golo Kante was sensational for Chelsea in the closing stages of the 2020-21 season. He picked up four successive man-of-the-match awards from the second leg of the quarter-final up to the final.

He has also won the UEFA Super Cup. Despite not giving a great account of himself at Euro 2020, Kante has come back strongly. But this might be as far as the Frenchman gets in the Ballon d'Or race this term.

#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Manchester United)

Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines in the summer multiple times. He won the Serie A Golden Boot with Juventus, scoring 29 goals in 33 league games. Ronaldo also won the Golden Boot at Euro 2020 with five goals and one assist in four appearances.

#3 Jorginho (Italy/Chelsea)

No player has had as fulfilling a summer as the Italian midfield metronome Jorginho. He was an integral part of the Chelsea side that won the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup. Jorginho was also influential in Italy's triumph at Euro 2020.

The 29-year-old was also chosen as the UEFA Men's Player of the Year. He is the one that keeps things ticking for Chelsea and Italy in midfield. Jorginho is an intelligent player who is also technically gifted.He is great with his distribution from a deep-lying role in midfield and is also adept at dispensing his defensive responsibilities. Jorginho led the list for interceptions (25), recoveries (46) and fouls drawn (18) at Euro 2020.

#2 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich)

Robert Lewandowski was robbed off the Ballon d'Or as the award was canceled in 2020 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Polish international won the Bundesliga, Club World Cup and the DFL-Supercup last term with Bayern Munich.

#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain)

Lionel Messi's numbers from the new season will tell you that he has perhaps not got off to a great start to life at his new club. However, his influence does lie beyond the numbers as well and it won't be long before he adds goals and assists to his kitty at Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi has had one heck of a summer. He won the Golden Boot and was picked as the Best Player as Argentina won the 2021 Copa America. Messi had also won the Pichichi Trophy last term with Barcelona, scoring 30 goals in La Liga.In 47 appearances across all competitions in the 2020-21 season, the 34-year-old scored 38 goals and provided 14 assists. He scored four goals and provided five assists for La Albiceleste at the Copa America. If Messi can find some goals to go with his form, he could very well win a record seventh Ballon d'Or this year.