Ballon d’Or result ‘leaked’ with Cristiano Ronaldo set to miss out on main prize
Lionel Messi is reportedly set to scoop up his seventh Ballon d’Or after the alleged result was leaked on social media. The Argentine faces stiff competition from the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Jorginho, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have all enjoyed stellar years in their own right.
Although the result is normally kept under lock and key, it is customary for the winner to be notified days in advance.
That is so that they can have prior warning of how proceedings will work, with the ceremony set to be held in Paris on Monday evening.
And it may well be Messi who clambers up on stage to collect the prestigious award for the seventh time, according to a leak from journalist Matteo Moretto.
The Italian claims that the 34-year-old’s friends are already aware of the victory which would take him two trophies clear of rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Robert Lewandowski’s sensational form for Bayern Munich has not only been limited to this year, with the Pole scoring consistently at a rate of more than one goal per game for the past three seasons.
Many felt as though the striker would have claimed his first triumph in 2020, although a year was skipped due to the impact of the Covid pandemic.
Elsewhere, Chelsea duo Jorginho and N’Golo Kante were also in the mix after their remarkably consistent form.
Back in May, the midfield pairing helped Thomas Tuchel’s side to Champions League glory, while Jorginho then went on to lift the Euro 2020 trophy with Italy.
Indeed, Jorginho emerged as something of a dark horse in this year’s Ballon d’Or contest, with his job for Chelsea executed extremely well, albeit appearing unspectacular.
His former boss Maurizio Sarri tipped him for the title earlier this year, saying: “He is so good and intelligent that he makes everything seem easy, rarely anything spectacular remains in your eyes. This is its greatness.
“Fans and journalists struggled to understand this boy’s game.
“Then he exploded in popularity in England too, now I have seen that he made the captain. He deserves it [the Ballon d’Or].”
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