Some time ago, France Football magazine released a list of 30 footballers who were nominated for the 2021 Ballon d’Or. The Ballon d’Or is one of the most prestigious individual awards for a footballer. This award is given basically every year.

Interestingly, there are several top names that are not included in the list of 30 names even though they have managed to appear impressive so far. Of course this is quite disappointing for the players concerned and their fans. Just the player? Let’s see the explanation.

 

1. Manuel Neuer – Bayern Munich
It must be admitted that Manuel Neuer is one of the best goalkeepers at the moment. He is one of the keys to Bayern Munich’s success in defending the Bundesliga title in recent seasons. Last season, the German goalkeeper’s clean sheets were reduced to 9 clean sheets .

In addition, Neuer was also unable to bring Germany to show off at the 2020 European Cup after being defeated by England in the round of 16. That’s what might make the 35-year-old goalkeeper fail to be nominated for the 2021 Ballon d’Or.

 

2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – AC Milan
Zlatan Ibrahimovic managed to impress with AC Milan last season. The 40-year-old player managed to score 15 goals from 19 matches he played in Serie A. He also managed to be the key to AC Milan’s success in qualifying for the Champions League this season.

However, Ibrahimovic did not play in the 2020 European Cup due to the injury he suffered at that time. As a result, he is not counted for the Ballon d’Or nomination in this 2021 edition.

 

3. Edouard Mendy – Chelsea
Appearing impressively with Chelsea and successfully bringing the 2020/2021 Champions League trophy, Edouard Mendy’s name should still be taken into account to be nominated for the 2021 Ballon d’Or. Moreover, the clean sheets he obtained last season were not too far from the acquisition of Ederson, who won the Golden Glove , which is 16 times.

Indeed, it seems that the achievements of a player’s country also influence the assessment of the nominees for the 2021 Ballon d’Or winners. Mendy’s country, Senegal, has not been very successful in the international arena, especially at the level of the African continent.

 

4. Federico Chiesa – Juventus
Federico Chiesa was one of the key players who brought Italy to win the 2020 European Cup. Performing brilliantly with Italy, certainly made several clubs interested in signing him, including Liverpool and Chelsea. His performance with Juventus can also be said to be consistent last season.

However, his name was not included in the list of nominees for the 2021 Ballon d’Or winner. One reasonable reason why his name was not included was his performance this season which was not too impressive by only contributing 1 goal and 1 assist from 6 matches he played in Serie A .

 

5. Pau Torres – Villareal
Pau Torres is one of the vital players for Villareal’s success in winning the Europa League and UEFA Super League last season. However, there is only Gerard Moreno who is nominated for the 2021 Ballon d’Or. Torres is indeed less able to compete in the 2020 European Cup in the Spanish squad due to Aymeric Laporte’s naturalization.

However, the success of Pau Torres in helping Spain to the final of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics should be a consideration for the 24-year-old player for the nomination. The Spain international has made at least 15 appearances for La Furias Roja .

 

Those are the top 5 players who are not included in the 2021 Ballon d’Or nominations. Some of them are indeed less successful at the international level with their respective countries. Who do you think should be nominated for the 2021 Ballon d’Or?