Ballon d'Or rankings: Ronaldo falls to 6th, Haaland outside top 10

Lionel Messi edged out Robert Lewandowski to claim a record-extending seventh Ballon d’Or on Monday, ending a bittersweet year on a high after he left Barcelona and won the Copa America in the summer.

Lewandowski settled for second place despite breaking Gerd Muller’s long-standing single-season Bundesliga scoring record with 41 goals in 2020-21.

Jorginho, an early favorite for the Ballon d’Or after playing every minute of Italy’s Euro 2020-winning campaign, ranked third.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who was absent from Monday’s ceremony, finished in sixth. It’s the first time he’s finished outside the top three since 2010 when he also dropped to sixth place.

Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was named the best player at Euro 2020, rounded out the top 10.

Simon Kjaer, whose life-saving measures helped Christian Eriksen recover from cardiac arrest at the summer tournament, finished in 18th place, while Pedri, who won the Kopa Trophy as the world’s best player under the age of 21, ended up in 24th.

Messi scored 38 goals in all competitions for Barcelona last season and helped the club win the Copa del Rey – its first title since the 2018-19 season – before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain. He also achieved one of his dreams in July when he lifted the Copa America, his first major triumph with Argentina’s national team.

*Won the Yashin Trophy as the world’s top goalkeeper

**Won the Kopa Trophy as the world’s best under-21 player